Emma Jean is building a career in journalism and a network of FCAT alumni

School of Communication alumnus Emma Jean is no stranger to a busy schedule. Beginning her academic career at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in 2019 as a Communication undergrad, Emma completed several co-op terms (including the prestigious Peter Gzowski Internship at the CBC), wrote for The Peak, and co-hosted the third season of FCAT’s After School podcast, all while managing to complete a Political Science minor along the way.

Having just crossed the convocation stage, Emma reflects on her time at SFU in the Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology (FCAT) and the promise and fulfillment that her future holds .

Emma was drawn to pursue a communication degree due to a love of writing and a desire to make a positive impact through that craft — something she says she already saw a path towards through the communication co-op offerings.

“Communication seemed like it had a lot of room for me to explore the different things that I was interested in, and I wanted to be able to get different work experience while I was doing my degree, rather than just kind of enter the world and not really know what I wanted to do and what I liked.”

Emma began her time in the co-op program working with SFU’s Media Relations and Public Affairs team, learning about the media ecosystem in BC, and more specifically the radio ecosystem of the province. Building on that experience, Emma began to pursue the Peter Gzowski Internship. Her first application in 2022 was unsuccessful, but she stuck with it, seeking more experience in student journalism and audio production. Her pursuit led her to a role writing for The Peak.

“The Peak, I think, is foundational to all of this, my work experience and all of my understanding of how to write stories and to talk to people and interview people - it's all from my experience at The Peak. I think I it was the first time I had been in an environment like that, like working on stories each week, but also working with peers in that context was so valuable.”

Adding to her journalism experience, Emma co-hosted the third season of the FCAT After School podcast.

“I had the best experience. I learned so much working with [FCAT After School producer] Stephanie Werner, who has a ton of experience as a Podcast Producer and journalist, and who was so generous with her time and happy to train me. I certainly wouldn't have gotten the job that I did at CBC if I hadn't done that. Plus, I got to interview really, really interesting and cool people who have fascinating careers of their own.”

With two years of extra experience in her bag, Emma’s second application to the Gzowski Internship was successful. Emma credits not only the extra experience, but also the help and mentorship from a whole network of people gained along the way.

“One of the alumni I interviewed for After School was Jason D'Souza, who is a former Gzowksi intern and now is the host of the Afternoon Show on Vancouver Island and All Points West. I got to talk to him when I knew I got in the internship, but before I started, and he gave me so much wonderful advice.”

The value of mentorship and creating relationships and support networks is a running theme throughout the story of Emma’s burgeoning journalism career. She notes that she has stayed in contact with both Stephanie Werner and Jason D’Souza, who offered her plenty of advice about working in the field and at the CBC specifically. D’Souza even reached out to congratulate Emma when she got her first piece on the air on CBC Vancouver’s Morning Show.

“I got a message from Jason out of the blue asking how the internship was going so far, and then he told me that my piece was now playing on his show that afternoon, and he was going to get to introduce it. It was a really cool moment. It feels weird to say full circle, because it was only three months between the interview and that moment, but it was a neat kind of bookend and I'm so grateful for his advice.”

The message from Jason D’Souza was a bookend to her time in the Gzowski internship, but it wouldn’t be the end of her time at the CBC. Having recently completed her co-op term, Emma found out that she will be staying on as an Associate Producer-on-call for Canada’s public broadcaster.

“I absolutely love it. This is the dream I had when I was first entering the co-op program and I'm so thrilled that it's worked out. Who knows what the future holds, but for now, it's definitely a dream come true.”

Emma isn’t finished with finding new mentors either. As FCAT launched a new alumni mentorship program, she became the program’s first mentee, paired with FCAT Alumnus and award-winning journalist Lisa Thomson — who Emma had interviewed as part of an alumni speaking event earlier in the year.

“She's had such a wide and varied career path, first in marketing, and then working as a journalist with NPR and Al Jazeera, and now she works doing a daily podcast and a daily radio show. And those were things that seemed so incredibly interesting because I'm still such a beginner, and I think that she has so many valuable insights into what it's like to not just work in those worlds, but to really succeed in them.

“I feel very lucky that I've been able to meet all these people through FCAT who have been able to help me transition into this next phase of my life. I know they worked long and hard in their careers to be able to have this insight, and I'm very grateful that they're willing to share it.”

Looking back on her own prolific time at SFU, during which she gained a lot of experience and insight of her own, Emma has some advice to undergrads who are just beginning their journeys:

“There are a lot of opportunities that are only available to you when you're a student. Even if it is something that you have doubts about being qualified for, you should apply for them. Apply because those things that are meant for students are meant for people who are still learning. You should absolutely go for it.”