She joined TODAY as a multimedia correspondent in January 2013, which puts in use the skills she has acquired over the years, having been a writer, sub-editor, photojournalist as well as photo editor before. It's not everyday that you get to meet someone with so much exposure, let alone interview her. We were initially given only an hour and a half for our session with her, but everyone had so many questions for her, and she was so patient and detailed in answering them, the whole session with her came up to close to 2 hours.
Alexandra Dawn Westcott
Having traveled to so many places, Alex has tasted various cuisines. When asked what her favorite food was, her answer was "Bobotie", which is a dish from South Africa consisting of spiced minced meat baked with an egg-baked topping. "I've never tasted anything like it" Alex declares. It does sound like a really interesting dish!
(This is how Bobotie looks like)
Another unique food that Alex has tasted are worms from Middle East, which tastes like crunchy peanut butter. Yes, WORMS. It's no wonder that it left a lasting impression on Alex, albeit a not very good one. And of course, when someone comes to Singapore, durian is a must try. However, Alex finds that they "smell terrible", but cannot deny that durians are tasty. Alex also mentioned many exotic dishes from South Africa whose names were hard to catch, but left our tastebuds tingling and I'm sure we will jump at a chance to be able to try out those dishes.
Click to find out more of what the Noshers think of Alexandra Dawn Westcott's talk, and how it has benefited us :-)
Alex described herself as a
jack of all trades and her position as Today’s first multimedia journalist
certainly helped prove that point. Meeting her was incredibly enthralling as I
learn more about her job and how previous experiences helped mould the craft
that is multimedia journalism. She shared her journey which begin from her
university days where she shot, most memorably, the poverty and resilience of
the people in South Africa (where she was born and raised). From there she
shared a great deal of her travel experiences and her editorial work in the
middle east was especially interesting for me. The entire experience of
learning about a well-travelled journalist allowed me to step into her
well-worn sneakers for a good two hours and I experienced the world through her
eyes. It was an enriching experience which I will not soon forget.
- Scott Lim
Alex (that’s how she wants us to call her)
is indeed a very warm and lovely lady. While reading her biography prior to
meeting her in person, I had the impression she was just like anyone else who
have worked in the journalism industry and her achievements were not as
astounding or brilliant as it had written. However, I was surprisingly
mistaken. As she spoke, she gave a flair of delicate confidence and compassion.
She had the knowledge and wisdom of someone who had taken her time to understand
the flaws and beauty of our world. Being as travel-obsessed as her, I felt I
could relate to her ideals and beliefs. She was very forthcoming in her
responses and I believe her approachable nature is attributed to the years she
committed to her job as a journalist where she also gave her time and energy to
the impoverished South African and Middle Eastern communities. Her personal
achievements were truly remarkable and not something that anyone can accomplish
easily without the perseverance and ardour she had. Overall, she was funny, gregarious
and full of ambition – someone I’d absolutely love to be like one day.
- Claudia Wong
Sitting there listening to Alex Westcott’s stories about her
life as a multimedia correspondent and her previous job experiences, I was
amazed and I learnt so many things I never knew about photojournalism. I got to
know that even though photojournalism is far from an easy job, you get to
experience things another ordinary person never would. That therefore makes it
all worthwhile. She also shared that to be an excellent photojournalist,
sometimes you’ll have to put your camera down and learn to connect to your
subject at a more personal level so you’ll get them to open up to you.
The interview with Alex Westcott has truly inspired me and I
am now considering photojournalism as a career as I have passion for both
writing and photography, along with travelling the world and exploring new
places.
- Dewi
Alex's compelling storytelling gave me a rather
in-depth exposure to the world of photojournalism. I have gained a deeper
understanding of what photojournalism is and thought of it fascinates me. The
thought of how photography and a story harmonizes is beautiful and interests
me. Even though it seems far from easy, exploring the world and experiencing
different cultures does seem enticing.
The way her passion for journalism fuels her
determination is admirable. Although she admits it's not a glamorous and
somewhat unpredictable job, the experiences and values she learns make it
invaluable. Her stories of the culture shock of being a woman in the Middle
East and poverty stricken villages in Africa served as a great reminder that
there are many things in the world that I have yet to see and experience.
Additionally, I learnt how important is it to build up a rapport with your
subject, and to make them feel comfortable, instead of diving straight into the
interview. I took away many things from her interview, and after she weighed
the pros and cons of being a photojournalist, I feel like she has broadened my
horizons and I might consider photojournalism as one of my career options.
- Mandy Chng
She’s
slender, fair-skinned, and when you’ve seen her you’ll be immediately captured
by her femininity. You can never imagine the hardships she has been through
over the years as a journalist who travels around the world frequently.
Photojournalism seems to be an easy rice bowl. Being able to travel around and
take beautiful pictures, meet and talk to strangers you’ve never expected to
meet in your lifetime. Great adventure, isn’t it? However, after listening to
Alexandra Westcott who shared with us her experiences for over more than a
decade in this industry, photojournalism isn’t as easy as it seems to be. There are also risks to take to being a photojournalist from surviving all culture shocks
and getting past language barriers. Besides, I personally feel that getting the
story is the toughest. Getting people to open up to you and not feel hostile
towards you, sure is a tough nut to crack. Two hours spent listening to her sharing her extraordinary travelling journey
around the Middle East and Southeast Asia, her experiences in the various jobs
she have taken up over the years certainly weren’t enough.
The
interview with Alexandra Westcott was indeed an invaluable experience. She has
helped to return my long lost passion in photojournalism with her own
experiences shared and the beautiful photos she has taken. However, being a
photojournalist has never been my ambition.
- Lee Pamela
Honestly I've never thought of being a photojournalist prior to Alexandra Dawn Westcottt (or Alex, as she likes us to call her)'s talk. Her passion for being a photojournalist, capturing moments with her camera and then writing about them, really inspired me. One thing that really struck me from her talk was her experiences with poverty-stricken areas, and her advice to us on how we should really get to know a subject before we interview him/her. Despite being a journalist, she makes it a must to get to really know the subject she's interviewing, and even empathize with them. That's not something all journalists can do, and that was one thing about her that really inspired me. After this talk, I have a new found passion for photojournalism, and it has become a career option that I will consider in future, especially as I, like Alex, have a passion for traveling and writing. With her warm, hospitable and patient personality, Alex is someone that is difficult not to take a liking to. After the interview, she even willingly sat on one of the chairs in the library and allowed everyone to take pictures of her, all the way smiling widely for the cameras. Her talk has definitely broadened my horizons and I'm sure it was an inspiration to us all.
- Soon Wei Sze
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