London students leave their mark as journalists in Malaysia

Free Malaysia Today

During their three-week internship at FMT, these undergraduates from City St George’s, University of London, had the chance to publish articles and videos on our news site.   Written and presented by: Theevya Ragu  Shot by: Dinesh Pushparani, Zahrul Alam Yahya Shahir & Andrea Edmonds  Edited by: Kiera Amin   Read More:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2025/07/17/london-students-leave-their-mark-as-journalists-in-fmt   Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com  Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5  Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM  Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h  Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp  Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX  Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb  Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj  Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Download FMT News App:  Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46  App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ  Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP   #FMTLifestyle #ExchangeStudents #London #Internship

Transcript

00:00If you've been following FMT's content lately, you might have spotted some new faces.

00:15All six of these young women are from City St. George's University of London

00:20and were part of FMT's internship program.

00:24Their university's Global Leadership Award program

00:27offered them an overseas work placement in Malaysia, and FMT was their pick.

00:33Within just three weeks, each of them earned a byline on published articles.

00:38And for some of them, their work at FMT hit especially close to home.

00:44Adina Ahmed and Manahil Rahman, both of Pakistani descent,

00:48wrote an opinion piece about the recent conflict in the Middle East.

00:52My article, I feel like in the beginning I didn't really want to do it

00:56because it was hitting really close to home,

00:58because my friend was currently in Iran while everything was happening.

01:04So I was really, really wary.

01:07But I think now that I've done it and I went through the whole process,

01:13I'm really, really happy.

01:14I did push myself, like, out of my comfort zone because I was really emotional about it.

01:19But now that I've written it, it's like I was able to do something for her,

01:25even if I can't directly do anything for her.

01:28So, yeah, genuinely it's like one of the most heartfelt pieces I've written.

01:31That is probably the most memorable.

01:35The day my article was published, I sent it to my parents first thing

01:38and they spread it around our family group chat.

01:41So that was definitely the most memorable, you know,

01:43because in that sense you feel heard, you feel like you are being appreciated.

01:50You know, we're not only in this company just to be interns

01:52or just to serve, like, a purpose of sitting there doing nothing.

01:57We've actually done something memorable.

02:01We've done something that's had an impact, hopefully,

02:03and something that's made us grow as people.

02:07Anastasia Yushchenko, a native of Ukraine,

02:09used this opportunity to explore the difficult question of neutrality

02:13during Russia's invasion.

02:16So I wanted to share with Malaysian people that neutrality is not only the option.

02:23And journalism gives me that opportunity to actually speak to people,

02:28to influence and in this way being heard.

02:32Greta Bogdanaita wrote about the elephants at Kuala Ganda

02:35while Emily Ahetto tackled the timely rise of influencer politicians.

02:42Meanwhile, Mariana Valentina drew on her Colombian roots,

02:46covering a story that celebrated salsa dancing in Malaysia.

02:49Being the youngest in the group at just 18,

02:54she said this experience has truly prepared her for the real world.

02:58There was a day where I literally worked 9 to 5,

03:01and I was just glued to my chair.

03:03But it was really fun because it's like you really learn to understand

03:06that this is what work truly is.

03:09And as I said, like, in the UK and Europe,

03:12it's very, like, they kind of nurture you.

03:13If you can't do it, don't worry.

03:15But here it was like, make sure you get it done.

03:17So I think it improved my skills in time management.

03:20For every one of them,

03:22this trip marked their first experience of Malaysia.

03:25They were quick to praise the friendly locals and delicious food.

03:29But what stood out most was our unique multiculturalism,

03:33something they felt even London doesn't quite offer.

03:38I would say something I didn't expect was maybe how multicultural it was.

03:42Obviously, I knew, like, with research that it was multicultural,

03:45but seeing it in practice, even with how the food is,

03:48like, the way it tastes, it was really interesting.

03:50And for Manahil, who's studying law,

03:52these few weeks proved truly life-changing.

03:56Even though we've been here for three weeks,

03:58it feels like, I'm an employee here.

04:00Maybe in the future I will be.

04:01Maybe.

04:03This all shows that real learning happens beyond textbooks.

04:07And who's to say?

04:08Maybe someday, these girls will be debating in the UK House of Parliament

04:12or making headlines as some of the world's leading journalists.

04:16So what did these few weeks ultimately teach them?

04:21My biggest takeaway is to always say yes.

04:25Even if you're uncertain about something

04:27and it's out of your comfort zone,

04:29don't be afraid to say yes.

04:31Don't reject the opportunity

04:32because you never know what you're going to get out of it.

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