“In the first few days of my time at the Wits Centre for Journalism, I made a promise to myself: to do the things that made me scared.”
For journalist Ruby Delahunt, stepping out of her comfort zone during her time as a WCJ honours student in 2024 was transformative – putting her hand up again and again to tackle assignments she would “rather die” than do instilled in her a new sense of bravery that would see her accomplish great things at the Centre, including winning the prestigious Patrick Laurence Student of the Year Award.
Delahunt has since joined online financial journalism news platform, The Currency, as one of its first interns.
“I stepped up because journalism is about getting out of your comfort zone; about being inquisitive and curious; about wanting to truly dig into the world with your bare hands. I was not always successful in this endeavour, but I worked hard at it,” says Delahunt.
“The Centre’s career-entry honours team supported me at every opportunity, never stopping to send challenges my way that I (with shaking hands) picked up and ran with.”
Delahunt volunteered to cover the National Elections on Wits campus and did so with aplomb, navigating overwhelming crowds to pick out the meaningful and interesting stories therein. She also stepped up to assist with the Centre’s annual African Investigative Journalism Conference (AIJC), assisting the team with video interviews and session coverage during what she describes as a “damn hard three days of work”.
Delahunt, along with honours student Kabir Jugram, also proudly represented the Centre at the 2024 International Journalism Forum’s student newsroom in Athens, Greece, supported by the Incubator for Media Education and Development (iMEdD).
“Ruby’s dedication, passion, and commitment to excellence shone through in all her work in 2024,” says WCJ lecturer Pheladi Sethusa. “Her ability to chase the stories she was passionate about and present them with clarity and integrity is truly commendable. Ruby’s talent and hard work have not gone unnoticed, and this award is a testament to her exceptional skills as a journalist.”
Adds Delahunt: “When I look back, I cannot believe how much I changed during my honours degree (or how much it changed me). A slightly anxious, coffee-averse, doc-marten wearing journalist, but stronger, more flexible, more resilient, less afraid.
“I was able to try so many new things, to experiment and tinker with every type of journalism and figure out what I wanted for myself. It takes a lot of courage to want something that is difficult to have and even harder to hang onto, and this is certainly the case with journalism these days – but if you fully surrender to the process, let it mould you and change you, the sky is the limit with how high you can go. I know I have my time at the Wits Centre for Journalism to thank for this.”
The Patrick Laurence Student of the Year Award is named in honour of the legendary South African political journalist and is administered by the Wits Centre for Journalism on behalf of the Laurence family. The award is given to a student who maintains a strong academic performance and an exceptional commitment to journalism.