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Inspired by Making a Difference: Emily Graham's Passion for Sharing Important Stories has Helped Her Succeed in Communications

By Shannon Edwards

Emily's hometown: London, Ontario

Emily aspires to follow in the footsteps of the successful alumni of the MMJC program.

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Having grown up in London, Ont., Emily Graham was familiar with Western University, but she never thought it would be the place where she would find a group of people and an academic program that was such a natural fit for her.

Emily always knew she was interested in a career in media. Having watched her mother transition from a career as a reporter to a role in communications, she knew anything was possible.

In 2016, Emily entered the Master of Media in Journalism and Communication program in the Faculty of Information & Media Studies at Western University. On her first day, she remembers standing in the lobby of the North Campus Building thinking “what have I done?”.

That feeling was quickly replaced by inspiration and excitement after meeting her professors and fellow classmates. “There is something about spending time with people who have similar interests that really connects you,” she said.


“On our first day we all had to go around and say what our favourite thing about the internet was and what our guilty pleasures were. Many of ours were similar and it made me think 'ok, I think I've found my people'.”

Emily remembers a video story she produced with a classmate as one of her most memorable assignments in the MMJC program. The City of London was trying to tear down a woman’s heritage home to expand the road. Emily and her classmate produced an awareness video, which she said shows how creativity can make an impact on a real-life problem.

“Even though we were just students from Western, we were able to make a difference in some way and that is something I will never forget,” she said.

Emily recently accepted a role at Ryerson University as a communications specialist for the Office of the Provost. She credits her time in the MMJC program as part of the reason she has excelled in this role.

Fun Fact

Emily can sing any kids' show theme song from the late '90s to the early 2000s at the drop of a hat.

Some of her responsibilities include content creation, project strategy, stakeholder management and communications planning. She thinks one of the greatest assets of the MMJC program is that students become exposed to so many different parts of the media industry.

Even though Emily chose the communications stream, she said she still uses the lessons she learned in the journalism classes every day. Looking ahead, Emily hopes to continue her communications work on a global scale, but says the people and lessons she’s learned in the MMJC program will stick with her forever.
The MMJC program has allowed many students to launch successful careers in journalism, communications, marketing and other media-focused industries. If you’re interested in starting your media career, apply to Western’s MMJC program to Start Your Story!

Profiles in the Start Your Story blog are written by students in the Master of Media in Journalism & Communication program, who are enrolled in MMJC 9604 - Professional Writing.