I’ve often been told I have a face for radio. On second thought, it may have been my voice that was frequently referenced – it was one or the other anyway. My earliest media experience was in elementary school when I read the morning announcements with my then best friend – although I imagine there was far too much giggling involved to be serious radio. In high school, my media experience expanded toward print when I wrote for my school’s newspaper where one-on-one interviews - mainly with peer crushes - were my specialty. 

While working as an optician I gained further print experience by regularly advocating for my profession in a popular trade magazine. I also expanded my media experience in radio by  writing and voicing commercials for the optical business, I worked for as a marketing director. Photography has been a lifelong passion and pastime of mine and I’ve co-created video, audio, and web copy for my energy-therapy business venture. 

Currently, as a Senior Journalist for Arthur Newspaper, I write news, culture and opinion pieces that are of interest to the Trent and Peterborough community. I guess you could say that I’ve always been involved in media in some form or another and maybe even that my interest, and hopefully talent, come naturally.

Over last Summer and Fall, I discovered Meghan Markle’s podcast, Archetypes, and have been enjoying it thoroughly. Listening to the discussions about negative social stereotypes that are often applied to women has allowed me to learn a lot from Markle and her often famous and controversial guests. These female stereotypes range from being “crazy” or “single”, to having ambition, being a “diva” or a “bimbo.” Then there are the more culturally applied stigmatizations such as the “Dragon Lady” or the “Angry Black Woman.”  

Of particular interest was the episode “The Demystification of the Dragon Lady” – a cultural stigmatization often applied to Asian women, particularly those who are perceived as being powerful. This derogatory term, which implies that a woman is deviant and sexualized, is commonly used to undermine strong and successful Asian-American actresses and professionals. Having watched Markle’s podcast guest Constance Wu in Fresh Off the Boat with my family and loving her quirky character, I was saddened to hear first-hand of her experiences of media harassment. The social backlash that she was subjected to, was directly related to her speaking out against sexual harassment that she had experienced on the set of the hit television show. 

What specifically drew me to Markle’s podcast was her way of encouraging her guests to speak their versions of the truth and especially about how they had been poorly portrayed by society and the media. As a victim of media harassment herself, Markle is a strong advocate for media ethics and responsibility. As a sociology student who has been both academically and professionally trained to value first-hand, insider-view perspectives, I appreciated hearing from Markle’s guests, including Mariah Carey, Serena Williams, Paris Hilton, and Mindy Kaling. 

Upon completion of my degree, I plan to explore graduate studies and/or journalism in order to combine my interest in social research with my communication skills for socially accessible study and advocacy. If ever given the opportunity to facilitate and/or to host a radio program or podcast, I would most likely draw upon my unique experience and education. While practising as an optician, an intuitive-counsellor, and now researcher and journalist, I’ve come to know that people tend to like to talk with me. Whether it’s my compassion, my humanist nature or perhaps even my voice and/or appearance – people seem to like to tell me about themselves and about their lives. 

As personal stories and storytelling are an integral part of all media and especially radio, I would like to be a part of a program that would be both unique and diverse – and above all else beneficial. I would particularly want to encourage people to talk more about the things that as a society, we tend to feel pressured to keep to ourselves. The things we “aren’t supposed” to talk about; the things that we might even be afraid to talk about. Taboo topics of interest might include mental health experiences such as anxiety, depression, and suicide. Reproductive experiences such as miscarriage, abortion, and postpartum depression. Family experiences such as abuse, violence, and estrangement. 

From my personal experience and education, I have learned that it tends to be the things that people don’t discuss that make them unwell – both mentally and physically. The regular socio-legal realms of speaking advocacy, however, such as the criminal justice system and/or social media can often cause more harm than good. I believe that people should be able to speak their truths with confidentiality and trust; that it is possible to encourage storytelling – particularly that of traumatic or unsettling nature – in a way that could be beneficial for all those who have interest in listening with compassion and humility.