Miriam explains how she puts her degree to use today, as a freelance sports reporter

Why did you originally choose The University of Manchester? 

I really loved the vibe of the uni – I wanted a big city experience but also a great university. But what sold it for me was the courses, specifically in the English department, and I met a girl on an open day who said she wrote her dissertation on Dizzee Rascal!

What are you doing for work?

I’m currently working as a freelance sports reporter, writer and presenter. Every day is very different. I could be writing an article, presenting a documentary, hosting or presenting or reporting on a sporting event like the Olympics or World Cup!

How did you reach that position?

I did a Master’s in Broadcast Journalism at The University of Sheffield. Then I got a place on the BBC’s Journalism Trainee Scheme (the one sport traineeship!) From there, I worked for BBC Sport for several years, working as a runner, then an assistant producer in TV Sport News.

I left and went freelance and worked mainly at the BBC, so for BBC Africa Sport (again, I got to use my French!) and World Service radio as well as local radio and TV at BBC London. During this period I became a reporter, and then got my first senior reporter role at BBC Sport focusing specifically on younger audiences.

After six years at the BBC, I left for a Diversity and Inclusion reporter role at Sky Sports News, as EDI work had slowly become my passion and expertise in the world of sports journalism. After three years at Sky, mainly producing and presenting documentaries, an award-winning podcast series called Real Talk and various other mini-series, I left and am now freelance again, and really excited for this new chapter.

How did your degree prepare you for working as a sports reporter?

The work experience I got while at the university was incredible. I did lots of volunteering, specifically with refugees which meant being able to use my French during that work. I also wrote for the uni paper and did some work with the TV/radio station.

For a languages degree, critical thinking, social and writing skills were key too – and I was able to really become the person I am today at uni. I also benefitted massively from mentorship at uni which is something I take really seriously now as a mentor and mentee in the world of sports journalism.

Which part of the degree had the biggest influence on you?

Definitely my dissertation, which was an exploration of the cultural impact of police brutality in texts representing the Civil Rights Movement. It made me realise how passionate I am about learning and researching around race, social justice and the representation of it. That has shaped me as a person and is something I speak about a lot.

I don’t think I realised how much it would impact me and my work going forward, but it really gave me the confidence to learn about how these things also impact and shape sports culture.

What are you planning to do next in your career?

I’m going to be taking on a new adventure abroad for a broadcasting company that I admire and am a huge fan of! This next step is a new chapter for me as it’s more TV presenting than reportin. As much as it was never something I thought I would do, or even wanted to do, someone in that company saw something in me and asked me to go and do a screen test, which I did, and to my surprise, really loved presenting!

I will also continue working on a platform I founded three years ago called Brown Girl Sport, which celebrates and tells the stories of South Asian women in sport. I’m so so proud of it and what it’s become and I hope it can go from strength to strength.

Do you have any advice for current and aspiring students?

Be bold, be yourself and be authentic! Take on challenges and opportunities that scare you the most, as they are the ones you’ll really learn from!

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