A joint honours graduate from London Metropolitan University has seen her career take off within weeks of finishing her studies.
Date: 22/08/2012
A joint honours graduate from London Metropolitan University has seen her career take off within weeks of finishing her studies.
Sarah Leo, who studied BA Advertising and Marketing Communications & BA Journalism at London Met, is now the Editor of national magazine, Real World.
However, it doesn’t end there for the talented journalist; she has also been accepted for an internship at the exciting Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
“This is a dream opportunity for me”, said Sarah, who studied in both the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities and London Metropolitan Business School. “I would love to work as a journalist writing hard, newsy stories that really matter. And it doesn’t get much better than the Bureau of Investigative Journalism for that!”
Sarah is graduating with a First Class degree, testament to her hard work and the quality teaching available at London Met. She believes the University has provided the perfect foundation for her future career.
“The teachers at London Met are amazing. They are really nice but they also push you to be better. It’s just the right balance of critical but constructive feedback and encouragement. I also had the opportunity to write for London Met’s student newspaper, Verve, which gave me a lot of the skills and experience I rely on today,” she said.
As editor of the German issue of Real World, the career magazine for students and graduates, Sarah is responsible for putting the entire publication together, including managing six writers. She secured the position on a freelance basis, but feels her future lies in the field of data journalism.
“I’m a bit of geek at heart and I love playing with spreadsheets and number crunching. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism is all about digging up and processing information so I’m really excited to have the opportunity to work there.”
Sarah secured the internship through one of her lecturers, Wendy Sloane, who has a contact at the Bureau.
“I’m really grateful to Wendy,” said Sarah. “One of the reasons you do a journalism degree is to make contacts, and that has happened for me at London Met.”
Wendy, who is a Senior Lecturer in Journalism in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, said: “Data journalism relies on people who have both a nose for news and a natural ability for numbers, people who can make sense of spreadsheets and see a clear picture emerge from a veritable jungle of information. Sarah showed early on that she has both, when she first took an Investigative Journalism course at London Met during her second year.
“That year we were lucky that our guest speaker for the module was Rachel Oldroyd, deputy head of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. An inspiring speaker, she regaled students with tales of working in a hermetically sealed room with Julian Assange of Wikileaks fame, and the amazing revelations that followed.
“If Sarah’s interest was not piqued before then, it certainly was after. Luckily, her zeal is matched by her natural intelligence and curiosity, and she will certainly do us proud when she interns at the Bureau.”
Find out more about the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities.
See how London Metropolitan Business School can help you get ahead.
For more information about this news story, email: l.foddy@londonmet.ac.uk
