At 23 years old, I have been in education for all my life. The last four years at Stirling seem a small blip in my timeline, yet they are the most memorable, and that’s largely thanks to Brig.
Looking back to my first year, I was a nervous teenager who wasn’t sure if university was for me. The content in lectures went straight over my head and the ‘excitement’ everyone told me I was supposed to feel fell flat as I drowned in assignments.
When I found Brig, things started to change.
The energy and love for journalism were huge presences in the room, and I left with newfound feelings of admiration and intrigue which drew me back the following week.
I still questioned if journalism suited me. The feelings of uncertainty grew into an uncontrollable bundle of nerves until I listened to speakers at my first ‘Big Brig‘ event. Brig alumni, who once sat where I did and had the same doubts as myself, now stood in front of us students as accomplished journalists.
Slowly but surely, the nerves bloomed into passion, and now I couldn’t imagine myself pursuing any other career.
Desperate to prove myself, I began writing about everything and anything, covering every desk over my four years with Brig. Unfamiliar faces at meetings which once seemed so daunting, so professional, so put-together and out of reach eventually came closer, and I found myself among them when I joined the committee in 2023.
Brig gave me the confidence to take a semester abroad – while daunting, the opportunity to learn journalism from a different perspective and write new stories squashed any doubts I had.
Last Friday (April 10), I, alongside fellow Brig members and journalism students, submitted my final piece of coursework which marked the end of my journey in education. Thanks to the community that welcomed me, pushed me, challenged me, and supported me these last four years, I’m ready to face the big bad world, armed with the knowledge I’ve picked up through my time at Stirling.
If any first-years are reading this and resonating with what I’ve spoke about, I implore you to give Brig a chance. You don’t have to be a journalist to join – plenty of students from other degrees have done amazing work in Brig – and it may make your journey at university that tad bit easier.
I’ll forever be thankful to Robbie and Alex who dragged me into those initial workshops and newsrooms. Cliché as it may be, I’m sure I’ve made friends for life through Brig.
Feature Image Credit: Alex Paterson