Seigonie Mohammed embraces dynamics of journalism

THE SAYING, “There are no wrong turns, only unexpected paths,” is an apt description of the career path taken by meteorologist Seigonie Mohammed.

For the past 11 years Mohammed's face, voice and bubbly personality have entered thousands of homes in TT: she was the local weather girl.

A week ago, she became the senior news anchor and lead producer at Trinidad and Tobago Television Ltd (TTT), after being a senior multi-media journalist and weather anchor at CCN TV6 for a number of years, and a meteorologist reporter at CNC3 before that.

And although she has wholeheartedly embraced journalism, she told WMN it was not originally in the cards for her – at least not when she was old enough to make that choice.

“I remember when I was growing up, when my parents used to take us for drives, there used to be a billboard on the highway with all the news anchors on it. I would look at it and say, ‘I want to be up there.’

“I didn’t know what I would have been doing up there, but I wanted it. I had no clue what I was saying, but I believe that whole ‘words have power’ theory made me end up on one of those billboards.”

As she entered her teenage years, Mohammed said she had her mind set on multiple careers, but still, journalism was nowhere on that list.

“At one point I wanted to be a zookeeper. I also wanted to be an actress and a chef. At 16 and 17, you know, you just want to do a million things.”

But her love for sciences won over and led her down the path of meteorology – well, that and a phobia she desperately wanted to understand.

“I am deathly afraid of thunder and I do not like rain at night: it scares me. Since then I have always wanted to know about the weather and why things happen the way they happen.”

At 17, she got that opportunity, through a scholarship to study meteorology at the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology in Barbados, after which she worked at the TT Met Office as a meteorological technician and in the research and climate section for four years.

“But I was looking and listening to the weather anchors at the time and I would tell myself, ‘This is not all we do at the Met Office. It is not just about presenting a forecast; there’s so much more happening in the weather to be told.'

“And I wanted to get that message out, so that’s why I decided to study communication.”

Mohammed enrolled in the journalism programme at the Ken Gordon School of Journalism at COSTAATT, and after her first year, in 2013, she got a call from CNC3 to do a screen test, and started working as a meteorologist reporter.

“But I was also reporting and doing stories on the environment and weather…

“It wasn’t really planned, it all just happened. And when I got into the journalism aspect, I attended more classes that helped tailor how I was able to present on television. I developed a love for telling stories, and that made me want to know more about different areas of journalism and how to tell the stories better.”

Mohammed has been studying data journalism and investigative journalism and recently wrote a report with the Media Institute of the Caribbean (MIC) and the Caribbean Investigative Journalism Network on the state of fisheries in the Caribbean.

“I have also been looking at so many programmes offered by the TTPBA (TT Publishers and Broadcasters Association) and the MIC, and I actually did the Oxford Reuters climate journalism programme. There are so many opportunities to see the media environment grow, so I’ve been doing a lot more in journalism and really expanding what I know and dipping my toes into the different areas of journalism.”

She recently added another dimension to her skillset – an MBA with specialisation in marketing management, from the University of Bedfordshire, which she believes can only help develop her understanding and implementation of the profession in which she has found herself.

“When people thing about marketing they think about sales, but there is so much more to it. There is branding and how we get our message across, which I think helps me to tailor our product in journalism, and helps me to understand what the public wants more of and where we can fill the gaps. So I think all of this has really helped me to see journalism, communication, and even the sciences in a bigger picture.”

The former Holy Faith Convent, Couva student said her role at TTT also gives her oversight of what goes into the media house’s different products, not just the newscast.

“And there are future projects that I will be working on and producing and creating content for. There are things to come that I think I’m ready for, so I welcome the challenge, and I’m just here for it.”

Mohammed credits her desire to expand her knowledge for her rapid growth in the industry.

“I felt that just keeping that practice of ‘he say, she say’ was not working for me. I wanted to dig deeper, to know more and to be able to go through all these different programmes and learn more about the practice of journalism. This really helped me want to showcase and execute how much more this field has to offer.

“I’m just so excited to be able to explore all of that and produce content that I could be proud of and something the public will be able to look at and see that a lot of work went into it.

“So the propulsion to me being where I am today was really just about passion for knowledge and me just wanting to expand my chosen field more.”

But what happens when the camera lights go off, the teleprompter is turned off and Mohammed removes her makeup and takes off her professional clothes?

“There are different sides of me, but still the same energy,” she said with an infectious laugh.

“On a normal day, away from the camera, I could be a lot of things,” the majority of which includes her family – her parents and three sisters. Mohammed and her twin sister are the babies of the family.

“I love doing things with my family. My older sister cooks and we have our own little catering business. I like to say I’m her sous-chef and quality control officer…Many people don’t know it’s me coming to deliver their meals.”

TT’s culinary culture, she said, often sees her traversing the island in search of good food.

“I love experiencing culture through food, so you will always find me at some new place; at the side of the road, the Savannah, probably taking a drive to Mayaro or Grande just to find a good chow or food spot. Anywhere there’s food, I am there.”

The self-proclaimed “country girl” recalled her adventures growing up in “the bush” and spending many school vacations in Gran Couva.

“I grew up around wild animals; in an environment where you could just step outside and breathe in that natural air, take a nice long walk through the forest, climb trees and pick fruits.”

And then there are the days when she can be a total homebody.

“I could just stay at home, watch TV and relax. I am all of that.”

The peace and quiet of home, the solace she finds in her family, and her faith in God, Mohammed said, are what keeps her grounded after the hustle and bustle of the daily news cycle.

“After the busy day at work, I always get back to that quiet base that’s home.”

Mohammed is extremely proud of her accomplishments and the strides she has made in her career thus far. Asked by WMN what is the next step in her professional future, she said, “Honestly, I don’t know. I did not plan this; I have always trusted God for everything in my life and I am grateful that He has guided me through every decision. My prayer life is a big thing for me, and I just go wherever God leads me. I honestly don’t know what the future holds just yet, but I know He will guide me to where I need to be.”