MDIS undergraduate is on track to fulfil her TV dreams

MDIS’ accelerated programme puts student Nurul Yusliana Yusaini one step closer to realising her media industry ambition

By Rachel Ng

February 22, 2021

When she was young, Ms Nurul Yusliana Yusaini would often mimic the newscasters she saw on television. They spoke with such poise and professionalism, and she dreamt of becoming just like them. 

“As a child, it was really fun to read the subtitles and pretend as though I was the one presenting the news,” she says. 

The 23-year-old is now well on her way to realising her childhood ambition, thanks to her mass communications course at the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS). 

After sitting the A levels in 2017, Ms Yusliana was exploring options for further studies. MDIS stood out to her as it offered an accelerated programme that would allow her to graduate in just 16 months, compared with a three-year programme at other universities. 

As she did not have prior knowledge in mass communications, she enrolled in MDIS’ Higher Diploma in Mass Communications, which she completed in eight months. It allowed her to progress at a quicker pace than doing a three-year polytechnic course.

From there, Ms Yusliana pursued a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Media and Digital Practice (Top-Up) offered by the University of Portsmouth in England. With her diploma, she could skip the first year and jump straight into Year 2 of the programme. 

“I love that the small class sizes allow students and lecturers to interact more meaningfully with one another. The lessons here are also well paced, which gives us the opportunity to truly understand each module,” says Ms Yusliana.

Studio visit

Some of Ms Yusliana's favourite modules so far have been on digital photography and advertising, which she believes will come in useful in her future jobs. 

Her most memorable moment was a class trip to the Fox Networks Group studio at Fusionopolis where she got to live out her childhood dream of sitting in front of a camera and reading off a teleprompter. 

“I like that MDIS allows us to learn more about the industry with such trips. The lecturers are really knowledgeable, and I enjoy learning more about their experiences in the media industry,” she says. 

When she graduates in November, Ms Yusliana plans to apply for a role in the media industry, whether as a Suria channel news journalist or a Ria FM radio deejay.

Ultimately, however, Ms Yusliana has set her sights on an even bigger goal. 

Inspired by the various teachers in her life, she hopes to one day impart the skills she has picked up, by teaching mass communications at the tertiary level.

Says Ms Yusliana: “Mass communications is a field that I want to delve deeper into. I hope to pass on the knowledge and experience that I have to those who are passionate about the subject.”