Amidst a star-studded event in Hollywood, Capital City College (CCC) alumni Muhsin Mahmud attended the 44th College Television Awards in Los Angeles.
Muhsin is an award-winning British journalist from London, whose reporting examines underrepresented communities, including a conversation with England manager Gareth Southgate on the lack of South Asians in football, and contributions for ITV News and the Daily Mirror on how the Bangladeshi community was overlooked during the pandemic.
Originally from London’s Tower Hamlets, Muhsin studied English literature, language, media studies and politics at CCC from 2019-2021, and fondly remembers his time as a student.
Muhsin said: “I felt like I really was taken under the wing of my teachers, who really supported me and helped me succeed to get the grades I needed to study at university. That really laid the foundations for me to have the confidence to walk into university and progress with my life. And it’s a testament to them and their support that helped me get to where I am today.”
Muhsin took the opportunity to study abroad at the University of North Carolina, and on his first day at campus, experienced a school-shooting as it took place. This brought out his keen interest in journalism and he recorded footage of the event as it unfolded, from the students’ perspectives.
“It was challenging, to make a decision on whether you wanted to stay or go home. I’d had the worst possible start, but actually the best possible end. At the time it felt surreal, and but it helped my development and personal growth.”
Muhsin took part in Carolina Week, the student television news program from the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There he gained experience in broadcasting, producing, and helped create a documentary about the school shooting, using interviews he did and footage he took on his first day.
What began as a short film on YouTube quickly gained viral status on the platform, and the school’s documentary received national recognition. Invited to attend the 44th College Television Awards in Los Angeles, Muhsin got to walk the red carpet at the awards ceremony.
“As journalists who told a story, to celebrate the success and be invited out to LA, from where I came from and have to get ready with a tuxedo, see the private chauffeurs, the paparazzi, to walk the red carpet, this was a key moment for me, to represent my community and make that jump from one place to another. While I was in LA we got to attend masterclasses, tour ABC7 Los Angles Studios, and I learnt so much about the industry. It was an incredible experience.”
Today Muhsin studies journalism at City St. George’s in London. He said: “It’s funny, but the most important thing is that my courses in journalism, it’s an amalgamation of the three A levels I took at CCC. From English, literature and language, media studies and politics, all those skills I got from CCC are applicable to my life today, and I’m still using them, so that strong foundations is literally being applied day in and day out.”
His tips for students are: “When you watch a football game, it’s a story. When you go to school, it’s a story. Your journey, your life, is always built around stories. So if you can master the art of telling that story, then automatically you become someone that becomes a powerful influence and a changemaker to society.
“When you leave a door behind, open it for the next person. You’re paving the way for someone who might just follow in your footsteps. I would say to step outside of your comfort zone—it allows for serendipity to occur. Travel if you can. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. You could just tell the next great story.”
Want to follow in Muhsin’s footsteps? Learn more about our courses in English and literature, media studies and politics today.
