Introduce yourself: your year, your school background
So, my name is Kourtney Meldrum and I am 20 years old. I am a third year Journalism student, with my first year here at Ryerson University and I previously studied at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. But, I am here now to finish the last half of my degree.
Why did you decide to join HC Ryerson? How did you hear about it?
Yeah, well the Journalism Department sounds out emails about media opportunities and they happened to send one out about HerCampus looking for new writers. So, I love to take on new jobs so I looked into the publication and what the group stands for and it is very girl-centered and I think it is important for publications, as a girl myself, to cater to the needs of females because mainstream media does not fill that void. There are so many girl-specific details that need to be focused on and are not addressed. I was on board with that as my ideals and beliefs were in alignment and I thought my voice could easily contribute to it. After that, I just signed up and got contacted so here I am.
What are your writing interests?
It depends as for me it is mostly when inspiration strikes. A lot of my work is based on my life and I write very personally which is my favourite thing to do as I just wrote a piece on organ donation and that is a discussion that is very close to me. I thought it was powerful and I have gotten such good feedback from that piece and I think that is because of my openness to talk about it. It just goes to show that unlike some other media networks HerCampus Ryerson just wants its writers to express themselves and explore ideas fully alongside other women.
What do you love about yourself and your writing?
Well, I like that I am driven and strong. I am always looking for new challenges and I strive to do my best even if I struggle a little bit, I push myself to do the best work that I can and be the best version of myself. So, even if I am teetering on the edge it is to to move to my next best point for I am not scared to fail and do not want to play it safe. Also, I like that I am constantly learning and also that I get to be nosey one of the best parts of being a journalist.
Is there anything you hope to gain from these experiences?
I mean it is my hope to have a greater understanding of the world and to look outside my worldview and see the perspectives of others. I want see beyond myself.
Favourite thing so far and any improvements?
My organ donation one was hard but it was meaningful and important to me. My improvements come from every piece I write and just that learning process and since they are all different topics, you will learn something different every time.
What can HC do to help better your work?
I like working with different editors. I write with The Eyeopener and The Ryersonian and other publications, but multiple editors help you better yourself and since it is not just one editor looking and getting that one idea it can give you many different outcomes so you get more constructive critique and new tips for voicing yourself more clearly.
What do you wish more journalistic media would write about?
I am going into sports journalism and I talk a lot about the coverage of women which is not comparable to men in sports and I want to be in that field to advocate for women since it is a vicious cycle to sexualize women and it is frustrating.
How do you feel as a woman in this field?
I think that women have come a long way as journalists especially in sports, but it is so difficult because of harassment from employers and peers and definitely the audience. It’s troubling, I mean Men’s Fitness magazine put out the hottest women in sports journalism; why was that published? Plus, there was not a ton of kickback for it and it is absolutely not the only publication putting out pieces like that. It’s sickening, I should be judged on my performance and not my looks. I worry about going into it but I am excited because I want to prove them wrong. I am a good writer and I know sports and I am passionate about this. i will thrive regardless of gender but also because of my gender.
Stay connected with Kourtney:
IG – @misskourtneykm
Twitter – @kourtney_km