#teamvuvu: Nomatter Ndebele

Meet my neighbour in class, Nom Nom. We have been neighbours since the begininigg of this year and as such shared much mgozi over coffee in the mornings.

Me: How would you describe your outfit today?

Nomatter: Function over form. I had things to do, I had to get them done so I didn’t focus on looking good – ya I didn’t focus on the form, I just focused on the function.

Me: How would you describe your style in general?

Nomatter: Hobo chic and then every now and again, you know, I throw some niceness in the mix.

Me: Now that we’ve broken the ice, are you sure about this journalism thing?

Nomatter: I’m sure about journalism, I am surer than I have ever been about anything in my life. I think, well I know for a fact that I’m not going to be a print journalist but anything else definitely goes.

Me: That said, if you weren’t doing what you doing this, what would you be doing?

Nomatter: I think I would be pursuing drama, acting kinda vibes.

Me: How have you found your honours year?

Nomatter: Very challenging and very real – also very realistic. It has forced me to look at things in a different way than I see them in my head.

Me: What’s been the most challenging thing and the most rewarding thing for you this year?

Nomatter: Having to be the journalist that I want to be, in a newsroom of 16 other personalities. Often people pooled onto the one side and I was often on the other, so it was a challenge for me to still be myself and still be a part of the team.

The most rewarding thing I suppose has been achieving that. I was able to remain myself in the course and nurture the journalist I want to be in the future, without having to be the typical serious kind of journalist.

Me: Where will you be next year and what will you be doing?

Nomatter: Reuters news agency, interning there and interning at the Wits Journalism department for a while as well. I hope to learn as much as I can so I can fly to greater heights.

Me: How would you describe #teamvuvu in three words?

Nomatter: Loud, consistent and dynamic.

Me: A word of advice for the incoming team for 2014?

Nomatter: Always be prepared to put up a fight, write from your heart and filter the white noise. A lot of people are going to have a lot of things to say but you can’t let them get to you.