BREAKFAST presenter Emma Cillekens leaves Mount Isa to study a masters degree at New York University.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
For 18 months Ms Cillekens will study digital journalism in her favourite city in the world.
“This course at NYU is cutting edge,” she said. “It’s different to what is happening everywhere else which is why I applied.
“I was really looking for a way to push my boundaries both personally and professionally.
“The media is changing so much and there are so many digital disruptions journalists and the audience face. I really wanted to be at the forefront of this change and not just watch it happen, but be part of it.”
She loved New York. “Background and passion is performing musical theatre, so the chance to study in a place that is so dynamic, and has Broadway at my step, was too good to pass up.”
Ms Cillekens has worked for ABC North West Queensland since 2011, but The North West Star would also like to claim her. She was a journalist at the newspaper from 2008 for three years.
She grew up on the Gold Coast and developed an interest in performing arts, studied at QUT, and produced radio and online content in Europe.
Ms Cillekens eventually moved to Mount Isa with the intention of staying a year. She taught dance and drama, and became involved in eisteddfod, Zonta, LifeFlight and the Leukaemia foundation.
In 2010 she became the Isa Rodeo Charity Queen after raising $40,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation. “I think the buckle will have to come to the USA with me,” Ms Cillekens said.
Ms Cillekens hoped to return to Mount Isa.
“The community has really wormed its way into my heart and I didn’t want to leave.
“Even now it’s difficult. I am definitely leaving a part of my heart in the outback.
“My last breakfast show, at least for now, was pretty emotional.
“I will miss being on air every morning, working with the team at the ABC and telling the stories of the people of the North West,” Ms Cillekens said.
