UWS graduate nominated for Walkley Award

Photo: David Hollier

A UWS Communications graduate who majored in Journalism, Connie Agius has recently had her work recognised with three prestigious nominations from the Walkley Foundation, Amnesty International and the Australian Human Rights Commission.

As part of a team, Connie was recently nominated for a Walkley Award for Excellence in "TV/AV Weekly Current Affairs" for a Four Corners piece called The Boy with the Henna Tattoo. Connie was the researcher.

Connie also received an Amnesty International Media Award and Human Rights Television Award for her work as a researcher on a story titled The Manus Solution.

Now working in London as a freelance journalist, Connie says what she loves most about her work is that she's paid to learn and tell stories. "It's a privilege to be a journalist, to enter people's lives and to tell their stories," says Connie. "With that privilege comes great responsibility. A responsibility that I take seriously."

Connie has a few key aspirations she wants to achieve: "I want to give a voice to the voiceless and hold governments, corporations and people to account for their actions and decisions," she says. "I don't do this job in the hope of being nominated or winning awards, and not for the money. The greatest reward is knowing that my work had an impact."

Connie explains that her UWS degree, which she graduated from in 2010, was practical and encouraged critical thinking. "The course provided opportunities," she says. "I found out about an internship at the ABC through my lecturer Barbara Alysen which led to paid work at the ABC and that was the start of this wild ride in a profession that I absolutely love. UWS didn't just contribute to my career; it provided the first stone to build the foundation."