Yesterday was amazing, let's start with that.

From the 500 applications Channel 4 received for the event, I was lucky enough to be selected to attend! And so when the day arrived, I couldn't wait to get cracking. The Channel 4 Pop Up event took place in East London at the Stratford Arts Centre and it began with a talk from Miles Otway a freelance Continuity Announcer; and for those wondering what that is, he's the voice over between TV programs telling us what is coming up next. This guy was so inspiring! He talked to us about his job and how he got there. He made us realise that you don't have to depend on your brilliant grades to do what you love and get a good job.

After the talk about Miles' industry experience, we got split into three groups. There were three workshops taking place that day: TV Production, Journalism and Digital Marketing. I was put into the Journalism workshop even though I had initially wanted to be part of the TV Production, but that didn't matter. Since I'll be going to Journalism School this summer, it was a great way to get an insight into the field. We worked alongside Jules McCarthy, a BBC broadcast journalist. Her workshop was overwhelming at the start, as she made us film a 45 second video talking about ourselves. Everyone groaned when she set the task, but this then turned into laughter and enjoyment as we started doing it. 45 seconds felt eternal, the pressure of trying to find things to say about yourself was slightly daunting, as you didn't want to sound too cocky. But we all gave it a shot and it was a great experience, as Jules then told us, you never know when you'll be asked to broadcast a story. So one of her top tips is to always stay tuned to the News and carry a smartphone with you at all times. Another bit of advice she gave us is to: "Check yourself before you wreck yourself". This was to keeping a close eye to what we post online as it can wreck our career.

Our main task that day was to create a News bulletin which consisted of three sentences of 15 words each. Since Channel 4 will be the official broadcaster of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, our stories had to revolve around that subject. Narrowing the story down was super hard to do, as it always felt like we were cutting out a lot of information that needed to be told. But after several drafts, I managed to get it done! And Luckily, I got selected to showcase my bulletin along with other members of my group in the final, in front of the other two groups (Digital Marketing and TV Production), and get a chance to compete for the winning prize of going to the C4 HQ. Unfortunately our team didn't win, but I still feel immensely proud I got that far. It built up my confidence and it really changed my perception of broadcast journalism.

I met some amazing people, got to network and get expert advice on how to get our foot in the industry. I really want to thank MyKindaFuture and 4Talent for hosting the event, as it was a brilliant experience and one which I truly benefitted from. Maybe I'll be back next year!

If you would like to find out more about the event, check out their website!