Cheese Grater Magazine: News and Investigations Editor

The Cheese Grater has absolutely made my first year at university: I've seen the news section go from strength to strength under James and Go and I'd love to carry on their excellent work in training new journos.

I've written a handful of articles so far, mainly about the Union, and I'll be very active in reporting on the Leadership Race this year. Union hackery is very much the niche I've put myself in this year: holding our elected representatives accountable is what drives my reporting, and I'd love to help convince the next generation that they like sitting in the back of two-hour Zones instead of being in the pub.

Some of my favourite articles this year have been the features in the UCL200 issue, and features are certainly something I'd love to push for next year: in amongst the mould and the building works, people are doing good and interesting things here that we should be shining a light on.

I'd also love for us to publish news articles more consistently, and for this we should dig deeper into the goings on of the University, the Union and even societies. As Editor, I would ensure there are groups of people working on scrutinising these bodies to ensure they can be held to account.

The thing that has kept me coming back to The Cheese Grater is the people: I've had a great time here and I'd love to make sure that the freshers next year feel as welcomed into the fold as I did but six months ago, while helping the whole UCL community stay informed about their University.

Writing from within the News and Investigations team turned my abstract aim of ‘becoming a journalist’ into something credible and tangible - a feeling I’d love to help others experience. 

I’ve written several news pieces, mostly on student activism with one more recently about Union politics and the upcoming NUS referendum. My first article was an investigation into a racist group on campus which led to the suspension of their Instagram. I’m proud of my articles and I’m excited to be nominated for the Rising Star award at this year’s SPAs. 

If elected to editorial, I would bring a close connection to on campus activism which has already led to CG accessing exclusive interviews and comments as well as being first to report on breaking news. I would also bring strong personal commitment; I’m very present at Monday meetings and within CG socially. Moreover, I would make myself available for in-person editing on articles outside of scheduled meetings. Consistent and impactful journalism is a priority for us all so, as an editor, I'd take personal responsibility for finding and assigning some relevant stories weekly, ensuring regular news output. 

CG has been one of the most important aspects of my life at UCL. Writing for CG is so fulfilling socially and as a journalist. I've met lots of my best friends here and I have the magazine and them to thank for the improvements I’ve made to my writing this year. I love this paper and I’d be so honoured if you’d have me as an editor. :)

The Cheese Grater has been a frequent source of enjoyment whilst my degree can prove jarring at times. The Investigations meetings  are the ones I especially make time for. I have quite a lot of experience presenting and would love to run the meetings next year to make newcomers feel as welcome as I felt with The Cheese Grater when I started in September. 

Though most of the emails I send to tutors end up with a shocker of a typo, I am quite well versed in editing other people's work to a high standard.

I think I would provide good balance as one of the News and Investigations Editors. I have both listened to recordings and attended a few Zone meetings, and am quite literate in the union politics side of UCL. And writing for The Cheese Grater has sparked a new found love of sending FOIs. 

Moreover, I think my background in sport could help provide some light relief in some cheerier news stories. I am very excited about contributing to the Varsity issue.

From my most vocal pieces, I have a lot of beef with flags and staircases. I would encourage newcomers next year to vent in a journalistic manner, and would really enjoy editing those articles. I am proud of my writings for the publication and want more people to experience the excitement I have when getting published. I am quite organised, and would make time to ensure my editing is high quality.

This is definitely not a bribe, but I'd also bring sweet treats if I were to run the meetings.

I hope you consider me for the role!!!

I'm Aya and for me, journalism has been about witnessing stories as they unfold.My first newsroom was my high-school classroom, where I served as Editor-in-Chief of the school newsletter. It was there that I learned the foundations of reporting, interviewing students and teachers, rewriting headlines late before publication, and realizing how even a small story could shape how a community understands itself.

That perspective changed when I worked in Doha at Al Jazeera. Walking into a global newsroom for the first time, I saw how journalism operates when the stakes are far higher. Screens carried live feeds from across the world, and reporters worked in real time to verify information as stories developed. Watching coverage of conflicts in the Middle East and diplomatic negotiations unfold showed me how investigative reporting, accuracy, and speed must coexist in modern journalism.

Later, at Vogue Arabia, I encountered another side of storytelling through fashion journalism. Working around editorials and cultural features revealed how journalism can also explore identity, creativity, and culture through narrative and visual storytelling.

These experiences shaped how I approach journalism today. As Head of News and Investigations at Cheese Grater Magazine, I want to produce reporting that is clear, curious, and unafraid to ask difficult questions, stories that inform our community while capturing the urgency and responsibility that journalism demands.