A student who received a scholarship has spoken about how the funding has helped change her life and given her the confidence to be a journalist.
BA Journalism (Broadcast) student Fazeela Munshi was the first to receive the Asian Media Awards Scholarship, supported by event partners Opus Broadband last year, as part of the ceremony’s collaboration with the University of Salford.
Every October, the awards celebrate those within British Asian and mainstream media, providing a platform for under-represented members working in the industry.
The scholarship was first announced at the 2023 awards ceremony by Professor Alan Walker, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the School of Arts, Media, and Creative Technology, providing £10,000 for a lucky candidate to pursue a three-year undergraduate programme in the creative industries.
The scholarship was aimed to help alleviate some of their financial burdens and be able to focus on their education.
About to enter her final year at Salford, Fazeela’s dream is to become a sports journalist, interviewing athletes and covering a range of events across the country.
She said that the scholarship has vastly improved her mental health and lifestyle, as she was struggling to make time for her education alongside working and commuting to Manchester.
Three years before applying for the scholarship, Fazeela began working as a steward for Blackburn Rovers to provide another income for her mother and younger sister.
Several times, she considered whether she would need to get even another job, as her train fares and food bills continued to add up.
In her first and second years at Salford, Fazeela did receive a government loan, but it was not enough to cover the everyday expenses that she needed to get to campus. So, she spent much of her free time taking long shifts working instead of spending this time studying for her assessments.
After initially applying for the scholarship in April, Fazeela found out in June that she would be the first recipient of the coveted scholarship.
She said: “I was definitely shocked. It definitely gave me the belief that these people actually have some kind of faith in me.
“I had no savings. I had nothing. I was on holiday [when I applied], so I didn’t know that I was going to win it, and I really didn’t know about the likelihood that I was going to get it, but then I got the email!”
As Fazeela received the scholarship last summer after completing her first year, she was provided with funding for her first year as well as her second year. She said the additional funding meant that she was able to reduce her working hours and attend more of her lectures and the journalism opportunities available at Salford.
The scholarship then provided her with not only the time and energy to go out and report in the field for her assignments but also the equipment to edit audio and video packages afterwards.
Before she was awarded the money, Fazeela often had to come back to university on her days off or stay later after class. With the scholarship funding, she was able to get herself a computer, equipped with Adobe Premiere Pro, so that she didn’t have to make the hour-long commute to MediaCity to edit a video package.
She said: “The loan that I get from the government, I don’t think it would have lasted me until the end of the semester, and then the commute to Salford — if I was trying to get there for like 8 or 9 in the morning, it would be like £12 for a train ticket.
“I look at it over the month, and you realise you’re spending £200 or £300 a month just on transportation, so I think the scholarship definitely helped me with that.”
As well as relieving the financial stress of her university commute, the scholarship funding also provided her with more flexible for her time outside of university – she was able to create a life for herself outside of her studies.
Fazeela said that one of her biggest investments was getting a new bed for the first time in years and officially moving out of the room she shared with her younger and older sisters.
She said: “We had been sharing a bunk bed since I think it was about 5 or 6. For 10 years, we had the same bed, and the only thing we changed was the mattress covers or, like, the duvet covers. I don’t think I’ve ever slept better since I changed my bed.”
Fazeela was able to finally move out of the room that she had shared with her sisters for the past 15 years.
Since freeing up her work schedule, Fazeela has kickstarted her exciting career since receiving the scholarship.
She worked with the BBC’s cricket team this summer and helped them to cover the West Indies v England series for both the men and women’s teams, as well as helping out the BBC World Series team.
Similarly, she was given some incredible opportunities working with BCOMS, a non-profit organisation that provides disadvantaged people with opportunities in sports media.
She has covered the British Cycling Team and gone to masterclasses by Ellie Stott and the Crowd Network, an independent podcast network.
Fazeela said: “[The scholarship] gave me the confidence to get out there and have the confidence to be a journalist or even a student journalist. You’ve given me this money, and now I feel like I have to, like, go and do it. I have to succeed; whether by force or not, I’m going to do it!”
Looking forward to next year, Fazeela said she felt relieved to know that she would be able to focus on her studies in the final year of her undergraduate degree and keep her work life flexible.
She said: “In the second year, I was balancing work and uni, but I feel like in my third year you need to lock in and get stuff done. I’m going to have to say no to working and just be like, ‘I need to chase this story! I need to do this.’”
In the future, Fazeela would like to be working on the radio or in as a commentator at her home club, Blackburn Rovers, writing meaningful work for a new generation of sports journalists.
The 2025 Asian Media Awards will take place in Manchester on Friday, October, 31 with a Shortlist Announcement being held at BBC Braodcasting House, London on Tuesday, September 23.
