Michalis Michael – Unic & Mediazone Tv & Audio – Lab Assistant 2009 – 2011

Michalis Michael was a Lab Assistant who started in 2009. He remained with us until the end of his studies. Michalis is a great example of an Alumnus who has a great spirit, and his heart was always in the right place. He truly has a “knack” for communicating, and was always willing to learn and help. Mediazone was proud to assist in giving Michalis the edge by providing him with a “glowing” letter of recommendation and to act as the reference for his current employment at Breda University. Michalis never fails to visit us every time he is in town. We always say that the relationships we build with our students are for life, and coming back to Unic, Mediazone is like coming home.   Continuing luck to Michalis! Door is always open…

J.I – Mediazone Acting Head

 

Michalis Michael:

My actual experience with the University of Nicosia started in September 2008 when I embarked on the Communications programme after spending a year in London pursuing a Bachelors in English, a course which eventually was not really for me.  Before enrolling at the University of Nicosia, I had never imagined that I would spend literally the best times of my life there! How come? Well, first of all I created long-lasting meaningful friendships with a lot of classmates and friends.  Secondly, I managed to attend a couple of job interviews and claim job positions as well as practical experience in the media industry. What’s more, I was lucky enough to have outstanding teachers who would openly communicate with their students and offer guidance timely.

All in all, my experience as a student of the University of Nicosia and the Department of Communications provided me not only with sheer knowledge but also with numerous unforgettable moments of socialization, mobilization, co-operation and creativity which enabled be to enhance my social and cultural capital. I will never forget for instance my attendance in various conferences and workshops organized by the Department of Communications which provided me with the opportunity to meet a plethora of industry professionals and academics. Besides, my participation in the “Jury of Young European Cinephiles’’ at the Venice Days Film Festival in September 2010 enabled me to meet 26 European peers with whom I watched all the films competing in the festival. Another experience abroad was the Seminar for Young Journalists at the European Parliament in Brussels organized by the European Parliament Office in Cyprus in November 2010, whereby a group of Communications students travelled to the European Union capital and experienced various aspects of the European Institutions with particular emphasis on the Communications practices.

It would be an omission though not to mention the plentiful opportunities for job placement as a result of being a UNIC student. To begin with, having served as a lab assistant at Mediazone, the radio/tv multimedia Unit of the University of Nicosia, I gained valuable hands-on experience in the field of media production and technology and I was also able to appreciate the synergetic spirit that is needed in live broadcast productions. Furthermore, upon the final year of my studies and after following up a job vacancy post within the Department of Communications, I was hired as a part-time content manager in the online newspaper “I efimerida” , a post which broadened my horizons in the field of online journalism.  In addition to this, another important contribution is my assistance in the production of the Cypriot film Chinatown, The three shelters, through which I appreciated the different parameters of film production.   Of course, as mentioned earlier my experience at the University of Nicosia is not simply based on all these activities and involvement that after all helped me build a respectable resume. What will definitely be remembered are the everyday casual moments with classmates before, during or after the class and/or exams, the chats and jokes with teachers and colleagues.

Personally, I am now living and working in the Netherlands, after I completed my MA in Media Studies in August 2012. My two-year experience in Mediazone acted catalytically in widening my career prospects in the field of media production; therefore I am now employed as a Production House employee at Breda University of Applied Sciences, (wtih the help of Mediazone as acting reference!).

At the same time, I never forget the place and those people to whom I owe these distinctive experiences, and that is why I always pay a visit when I come to Cyprus. I am still in contact with people from the University of Nicosia and I collaborate with them on certain projects. Finally, I would like to urge all Bachelor students to grab all possible opportunities that arise – no matter of their significance – and start absorbing work experience and knowledge as early as possible. We are living in a highly competitive society and differentiation is a significant feature along with personal charisma that an individual needs in order to progress professionally.