About Me

I've always had a passion for language - visual, spoken, written - and when presented with the choice of what to study after high school, my career aspirations were clear. The University of Queensland facilitated my personal and professional growth in the field of journalism and communications. I graduated at the end of 2015 with a dual degree majoring in public relations and issues management. My consistently high academic achievement and genunine interest in content covered over the past four years reinforced the fact that not only is this what I want to do, but perhaps, this is what I was meant to do.

I've undertaken a number of extra-curricular internships to supplement what was learned in the classroom and all these experiences have fundamentally informed my outlook on the importance of communication. I spent close to a year writing for 'The Music' (a subsidiary of Street Press Australia formerly known as 'Time Off') where I was responsible for news content uploaded to the website as well as weekly album reviews. This was a dynamic working environment that was heavily involved in the local music scene and fostered creativity from all its staff. This prompted me to look around for more long-form writing opportunities and saw me become a freelance contributor for 'Tone Deaf', an online authority for live gig reviews (a form of writing which I continue to pursue as a hobby). In addition to this exposure to print journalism, I've also spent time at community broadcaster 4ZZZ sourcing stories and working in an on-air capacity.

More recently, I was able to gain valuable insights from internships at Newstalk 4BC and 612 ABC. Here, I worked alongside eminent journalists and was given unprecedented access to the newsroom. My time spent at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation was a particular highlight. While primarily involved in radio, I also assisted shot-listing footage that aired as part of investigations on the 7:30 television program. In this way, I was able to extend my week long placement into several months. I was invited back to assist the sports department and, through this role, got to interview athletes and attend press conferences on behalf of the ABC. This necessitated an understanding of the recording equipment and news-gathering protocols. After a while, I broadened the scope of my responsibilities by working as an overnight reporter, preparing copy-grabs and voice reports for the morning bulletins. This allowed me to refine my writing and presentation skills, while developing useful contacts around the station and in regional out-posts.

My time at the ABC exposed me to the exciting, fast-paced reality of working in a newsroom while enhancing my technical skills, refining my sense of newsworthiness, and giving me an appreciation for producing quality work under pressure. I then transitioned from news into the programs department where I spent most of my time working as part of the Evenings team. My skills were soon recognised here and resulted in securing a position as a junior producer/content creator at the station. This involves initiating stories, chasing talent, editing audio and devising value-adding online content to assist the presenter/senior producer on- and off-air. I've since been filling in on a casual basis with 612 ABC's Afternoons program and more regularly taking on shifts with Regional Drive - making editorial decisions for the program, tailoring content for a statewide audience and reading the half-hourly news headlines. It's been a very hands-on position that has given me greater confidence working in-studio on my own, scripting segments, prompting talkback, organising talent and following my journalistic instincts.

Overall I'm a highly motivated and capable graduate that has demonstrated proficiency in real-world organisations. I have excellent communication skills and an ongoing commitment to achieve my best, while my time management and reliability are testament to my strong work ethic. Ultimately, I hope to use my position at the public broadcaster to continue communicating with a purpose - informing and entertaining our listeners in equal measure.

You can contact me on grace.wilson1@uqconnect.edu.au or 0411 422 204.

Do not hesitate to get in touch via LinkedIn or Twitter either.