I began my career as a news presenter confident that, whatever else, at least I had the pipes for it. The discovery that getting in front of a live camera made me nervous was dismaying, to put it mildly.
I was resigned to a short-lived career as the company laughingstock, but thankfully, I turned out to be a pretty decent live reporter. My beat gave me a glimpse into the daily lives of ordinary people: the student supporting himself delivering cylinders of gas as he prepared for the ultracompetitive national civil service exams; the female cadet making her first voyage aboard a battleship; the latecomer boxer in training.
I was let into their lives, and the experience opened my eyes to a world I’d never known. And then, just as I was getting comfortable in front of the camera, I was made a main news presenter.
It was a role I carried out for close to ten years with no small sense of apprehension, not to mention solemn duty. The next two I spent covering current affairs on the radio. The next thing I knew, I was midway into my forties.
I have few laurels to boast of or achievements to claim, but looking back on my career, I can confidently say that in every moment, I approached every story and every person before me with genuine curiosity.
In fact, this insatiable curiosity is the quality I most value in myself, as well as —if I may be so bold—my highest source of pride as a working professional. I believe that in our repeatedly asking questions and seeking the answers, we are and will be able to find the solutions to myriad problems.
Today, I present the 12 o’clock news and host a movie program as well as a healthcare and medicine podcast. Recently, I organized a talk-show format podcast featuring news presenters of all stripes, from rookies to veteran, to promote intergenerational understanding.
I continue to make it my vocation to ask good questions and listen thoughtfully to the answers, and I’m pleased to have been asked to do what I do best for an event as grand as SDF. I can’t wait.