How Being a Student Journalist Shaped Me — More Than I Expected

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John Ogunnubi 

Before gaining admission into Olabisi Onabanjo University, I had always been passionate about writing. I ran my own blog, published posts (even if inconsistently), and believed that writing was my thing.

But when I entered university, something changed. The spark faded. The demands of academic life crept in, and slowly, I stopped writing. I blamed school stress, but in truth, I had lost my creative rhythm — and it began to affect not just my writing but also my academic performance. For a Mass Communication student, that was a red flag. After all, storytelling is at the heart of everything we do.

Everything changed in 200 Level during our newspaper production and reportorial course. We were assigned different reporting beats — and while the old me would have jumped for joy, I found myself complaining. "How am I supposed to juggle lectures and still chase news under the hot sun?"

Then came Dr. Akinwalere. He structured his class so that we had only one hour of lectures — the remaining hour was strictly for news sourcing. Deadlines were tight, expectations were high. But unknowingly, he was teaching us the real-world pressure of journalism — to deliver credible, timely stories without compromising quality.

We had to develop what journalists call a “nose for news.” The smart ones quietly adapted, while others scrambled. I slowly started finding my rhythm again.

More recently, our department published a magazine, and I was assigned to the Science and Tech beat. Working with a coursemate, I had to learn something journalism also requires: teamwork. From scheduling interviews to pushing past exhaustion and hunger, we had our moments of friction, but we got through it — submitting close to ten stories for editorial review.

Not all were approved. But through it all, I learned something priceless:

👉🏽 Consistency trumps perfection.
👉🏽 Deadlines build discipline.
👉🏽 Teamwork tests your patience and commitment.
👉🏽 And most importantly, never give up on your gift — even when it feels like it’s gone silent.

Being a student journalist didn’t just refine my writing skills — it reshaped my mindset.
Latest finalist with the latest graduand 

#StudentJournalism #MassCommunication #Storytelling #JournalismJourney #MediaStudent #OOU #GrowthMindset #LinkedInJourney

Courtesy of OOU parrot, Mass communication department 

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