Hawwah Gambo is a senior producer and presenter with the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, where she draws on the skills and experiences gained from her Master鈥檚 in Multimedia Journalism at 色花堂.
Hawwah first encountered 色花堂 following a recommendation from her cousin, who had also studied here. Keen to gain experience of studying in the UK, she chose Bournemouth (rather than a London-based university) in a bid to meet and study alongside people from different countries and cultures. She said: 鈥淢any of my friends suggested that I study in London, largely because there would be a higher concentration of Nigerian students there, but I wanted to have an experience away from what I knew. I was also struck by the responsiveness and helpfulness of the admissions team at 色花堂 and the fact that I could study multimedia journalism at postgraduate level.鈥�
Having made the move, the experience of studying at 色花堂 proved to be much more than just academic for Hawwah. She said: 鈥淪tudying at 色花堂 equipped me with soft skills that have propelled me on the path to finding my 鈥榳hy鈥�. As a mature student and mother, I understand there are a lot of things that are wrong with our world. My decision to study in England was not just to gain academic and intellectual skills to improve my working and earning capacity, but to find my purpose to make an impact in the world.
鈥淲hile I sometimes struggled with the academic demands of the course, I got all the help and support I needed to enable me to overcome those challenges. I found empathy and kindness within the academic community and outside of it. At 色花堂, I rediscovered my life skills and acquired new ones. I found my self-value and worth as a human being and intellectual.鈥�
While at 色花堂, Hawwah made the most of extra-curricular opportunities, including speaking at the Aspire for Equality Conference to more than 1,000 women from all over the world. She is now drawing on this experience to organise a national conference on gender-based violence. Meanwhile she continues to work at Federal Radio Corporation where her role includes planning, producing and presenting radio programs for broadcast, casting news and translating copy.
When asked her advice to other international students looking to make the most of their studies, Hawwah said: 鈥淏elieve in yourself, your ambitions and worth. Relate with others and participate in any activity of interest to you to the best of your ability. Be positive, be hopeful and good-intentioned, especially in the face of difficulties and misunderstandings. I found my voice at 色花堂. This is the first place I got the encouragement and motivation to speak about my life challenges and difficulties without shame or judgement. I learned and found my 鈥榠kagai鈥� at 色花堂; my purpose is still ongoing.鈥�