Work Integrated Learning (WIL) forms an integral component for students completing their qualifications at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). For Sandile Eugene Lukhozi, obtaining an internship at the prestigious NEValleyNews, is a dream come true.
Lukhozi, third-year DUT journalism student travelled to the USA to complete a journalism certificate at Scottsdale Community College in July 2017, as part of the Community College Initiative Programme. He was introduced to the publication by Megan Young, the coordinator of the Community College Initiative Programme at Scottsdale Community College, when he had arrived in Arizona in July 2017.
“I began initiating story ideas and writing stories. Half-way through the semester (August to December 2017), the journalism programme adviser at Scottsdale Community College, Janet Richards, asked me if I would like to apply for an editorial position in the spring semester (January to May 2018), and my response was, yes. So, I began as the editor of international stories in January 2018,” he said excitedly.
His job entails discussing and deciding upon potential story ideas and going through articles once they have been written by international students. “I would say that writing in America is more detailed, especially with NEValleynews.org. Since there are also international stories, they add more details to the story to make it more relevant and easily understandable to local readers. In addition, most media organisations in America, if not all, use the Associated Press (AP) stylebook to write and edit stories. For me, this was something new. Even though, the AP stylebook emphasizes detail to context; however, it also has a lot of abbreviations. For example in a story, the month of February would be written as Feb. Lastly, it is also open to sourced hyperlinks, something which South African media is slowly transitioning to,” he said.
He reiterated that the international people he works with are very helpful as they do understand that he is as an international student, and that he offers a different perspective of the world in the newsroom. They also listen to his ideas, and he also takes a lot from them,” he added.
Lukhozi said that his experience internationally has exposed him to many things such as the different cultures, the education system and the international work ethics, to name but a few.
“Personality wise, I think I am a better than I was 10 months ago. I am more open to discussions. I can make my point without having self-doubts on what I am speaking about. With regards to journalism, I have also had the pleasure of reporting on soccer. During this experience, I had been able to throw in questions to current Phoenix Rising coach and former coach of Mali soccer national team, Patrice Carteron during post-match interviews,” he said excitedly.
However, he still feels that he has a lot more to achieve but having good focus and a positive attitude have been his strongest points. In terms of his preferences of what newspapers he prefers reading, Lukhozi enjoys reading the Sunday Times and Soccer Laduma. Internationally, he enjoys reading the Washington Post.
Besides working, Lukhozi has found time to do some sight-seeing, having visited several places in America. “I have been to Grand Canyon National Park, Chinle (Navajo Nation), land of the Native Americans in Arizona. Moreover, I have been to the historic four corners, a national landmark where four states meet (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona),” he said.
The experience for Lukhozi will be coming to end, and he will be returning to South Africa on 14 May 2018. When asked if he missed home, he added that he is a proud South African and does miss home sometimes, but not always. “Since I am on a scholarship programme, the best thing I can do is to make justice by coming back home and give other South Africa students an opportunity that I was given,” he said proudly.
Pictured: Sandile Eugene Lukhozi, obtains an internship at the prestigious NEValleyNews, USA.
Waheeda Peters
