Star Awards 2020: Callum McQuade
The Edit’s Callum McQuade has been reflecting on winning Best Article at this year’s STAR Awards, while also encouraging other students to get involved in extracurricular activities at GCU.
Fourth year multimedia journalism student Callum was recognised for his feature on “Mick N Phil” looking at their music and mental health journey.
Callum, who has been writing for The Edit since first year, explained his delight at winning the award and the inspiration behind the winning article.
He said: “It feel absolutely amazing to have won. It’s a really nice way to finish my time as Music Editor and also my time at university – it was totally unexpected.
It’s great to be recognised for the work that I’ve done because I’ve put a lot of effort into the music section over the last two years and I like to think I’ve left it in a really good place.
It’s also nice to see recognition for The Edit overall. The committee have put in a lot of work over the last two years. The writers for the music section have also been really good at coming up with their own ideas and putting their own slant on articles as well.”
Callum added: “I got “Mick N Phil” in originally to do an interview on Camglen Radio, where I had my own afternoon show. They had a new song at the time and it was their first official single out and they were starting to get a bit more publicity around them.
They’re twin brothers and talented local musicians but they did come with a bit of a history as well. Their mum tragically took her own life when they were just 18 months old and they’re both really passionate about mental health - all I wanted with the article was to do them justice.”
Having experienced first-hand the benefits of getting involved with The Edit, Callum is keen for other students to make the most of their time at GCU.
He explained: “I had the opportunity to interview the likes of Tom Walker and John Newman, which has been amazing for someone like me while still being at university.
The friends you make from these groups are friends that you’ll walk away from GCU with and hopefully keep in touch with forever.
It’s also very good for your CV and shows that you can actually dedicate yourself to something other than your university work – which I think is vital in this day and age.”
The STAR Awards is an annual event held by GCU Students Association to celebrate students' hard work and dedication throughout the year. For more information see here.
By Ross Clark
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or message me on Twitter