Blazing the trail

14 Jul 2020

From Christchurch to Qatar, Alex Baird’s (13218) career has taken him to Australia, Hawaii, Canada and Norway in between.

A journalist for global news network Al Jazeera English, he’s seen many things that most of us won’t. It’s helped him understand the importance of embracing opportunity and challenge, but it might surprise you how his career began.

Alex left College in 2008, with no clear idea of what he wanted to do. After studying first-year law, he turned to history before training as a journalist. He has since worked in radio, print and television journalism for almost 10 years.

A recipient of the Robert Bell Travelling Scholarship in Journalism, he urges everyone to make the most of opportunity - especially anyone currently at College.

“This is an amazing school and you should take advantage of the opportunities you have here, but never lose sight of the fact that most people don’t have those opportunities.”

“Where I am now is nowhere near where I thought I would be… so trust yourself to find your path, know you don’t have to go according to anyone else’s pace, and find fulfilment and growth around you and within you.”