Many UEL students are the first generation in their family to get a degree. I help students build a unique set of tools to become change makers. I love working with mixed cohorts of students: general journalism, music, fashion and sports journalism. I give them real-life tasks and challenges that help them hone their soft and hard skills, adapt to working with multi platform media and build lasting collaborations. I use mindfulness frameworks to help the students understand themselves better and build their professional life as a true calling. Along with polishing their journalism, editing, and design skills, I help them develop strong product and project management skills.
In 2023, I taught two courses on employability to second-year and master’s students. As a result, the students started looking at the industry as a whole, rather than focusing solely on their specialism. They produced stories on the links between sports and sustainability, e.g. the effects of air pollution on athletes’ performance.
In 2024, I taught first-year students the basics of journalism and third-year students — magazine production. The students took on real editorial room roles and produced magazines in teams during the spring term.
Students’ projects
An MA student Vlad Andrejevic created a series of interviews on air pollution with key people in the community — a teacher, the head of a local mosque, a pharmacist and the head of a charity.
As a part of their assignment, second-year students Tom Chambers and Harry Briffa created this X thread, featuring Green Infrastructure elements that would reduce the impact of air pollution and save taxpayers’ money.
A team of seven last-year journalism students created Capital, a minimalist magazine about Londoners and their stories that define the city today, such as interviews with an NHS nurse, a BBC soap opera producer and a Ukrainian family that found a new home here.
A team of seven last-year journalism students created Issue-z, a funky magazine reflecting on Gen-Z’s ethos and style, featuring the world’s first-ever book town review, an untold story of an Egyptian female nuclear physicist, and an insider’s view of the sex industry.
Testimonial
Marina has proven to be an invaluable addition to our team, course offerings, and students. Her expertise in magazine, social media, and project management is unparalleled. Marina consistently demonstrates openness to facing challenges and seizing opportunities and has excelled in every task. We greatly appreciate her contributions and positive impact on our team and educational initiatives. We could not have asked for a better lecturer.
Renata Brandao, Senior Lecturer in Multimedia Journalism, Co-course Leader for BA/MA