One of the greatest rewards of being a lecturer is witnessing your students flourish after graduation. Each time I come across a news report by Madina Dahiru Maishanu of BBC and  Mustapha Kaita of TRT, I can’t help but smile with pride, as in "this is one of our own". And I’m convinced there are many more like them. Nothing excites me more than seeing students demonstrate responsibility, passion, and commitment. Our ultimate desire is to produce graduates we can proudly point to anywhere in the world.

As we say in Hausa, “Jumma’an da za ta yi kyau tun da ga Laraba ta ke farawa”, a great Friday begins from Wednesday. Just last week, I visited our 300-level students, who are our potential 400-level students by January, undergoing Industrial Training at various media houses in Kaduna like Liberty TV/Radio, KASU FM, Correct FM, and DITV/Alheri Radio. I left each station overwhelmed and deeply encouraged by the glowing remarks their supervisors gave. It was clear that our students are representing ABU Zaria and the Mass Communication Department with excellence, professionalism, and integrity.I took time to engage with them individually, learning about their passions, expectations, and what the real-world environment is teaching them. I was delighted to see how excited they were, even though their journey has not been without challenges. Interestingly, this batch consists entirely of female students. Despite the popular belief that female journalists may not always take the profession seriously, these young women proved the complete opposite. Full of energy, they were constantly being assigned field duties and carrying them out impressively.

According to Hajiya Maryam of Liberty Radio and TV, “This set of students is exceptional,”  especially in punctuality and dedication. Similar commendations came from supervisors at KASU FM, Correct FM, and DITV/Alheri Radio. As I observed them more closely, I saw genuine enthusiasm and hunger to learn from every moment of field experience.

I must sincerely commend this remarkable group for their diligence, punctuality, and passion for journalism. I encourage them to keep pushing because with hard work, resilience, and commitment, the sky is only their starting point.

Congratulations, my brilliant ladies! Keep shining and making us proud. I'd like to encourage you all to leverage social media platforms like Blogshop and explore entrepreneurial journalism even before graduation. I believe these experiences will serve you well, as practice makes perfect.