Kyla Hassan

I am an aspiring social media professional, studying Journalism and Media at Kingston University

My Recent Journalistic Work

The River •

The final deadline: What third year’s want freshers to know… - The River

As graduation day creeps closer for our final-year students at Kingston University, many are taking time to reflect not only on their achievements, but also opportunities that slipped through their fingers. Missed social events and academic risks never taken, a common theme is emerging among third years: regret can be one of university’s most unexpected lessons.


For journalism student Thea Antoniou, her biggest regret isn’t academic, it’s living with her ex-boyfriend, where she spent too much...
The River •

Mother’s Day: the day a student dreads every year - The River

Flowers, cards, and pastel-coloured displays celebrating motherly love have started to fill shopfronts as Mother’s Day draws near in the UK. While many Kingston University students look forward to the day, for some, it serves as a distressing reminder of losing a loved one.


One Kingston University second-year student, who we will call Megan to stay anonymous, shared with The River that she finds Mother’s Day as one of the most difficult days of the year since losing her mum a few years ago, “...
The River •

Pickles to Pringles: KU students confess their weird (but wonderful) Nutella combos for World Nutella Day - The River

With World Nutella Day finished and done, Kingston University students have proven that the well-known chocolate-hazelnut spread is far more versatile than just a simple layer on top of toast.  Students have confessed their guilty pleasures, combining sweet, savoury and sour into surprisingly creative, and delicious, Nutella pairings.


Leading the way is third-year KU student Adwaitha, who confessed that her guilty pleasure is through taking a sweet and sour approach through her love for Nutel...
The River •

Is this the unluckiest KU student ever? - The River

While Friday 13th has always had a cursed reputation, many can attribute the ‘misfortune’ to old wives’ tales. However, for KU student Oliwia Bojarska, mere superstition became a scary reality on the unluckiest day of the year.


She tells the River that the chaos all began before the day had even started: “I had woken up on Friday morning already shaken after a vivid nightmare the night before,” Bojarska said. “When I realised it was Friday the 13th, I knew the day was going to end badly, even...
The River •

Urban Fun: a spontaneous midweek escape that doesn’t break the bank - The River

In less than two months since its opening, Urban Fun has quickly become one of Kingston’s go-to entertainment spots, especially for students looking for something new to do on a random day of the week.


From the moment me and a group of friends walked in, it immediately felt different to your average arcade, which usually screams chaos, with that distinctive smell and loud kids music. Instead, it felt grown-up; more like a place for adults or students who want to let loose and have a laugh....
The River •

Seoul, survival, and stress: the reality of doing a year abroad - The River

When Ameera Saad, a third-year Journalism student at Kingston University, ended up in the emergency room of a hospital in Seoul, far away from her family and friends, reality struck: her year abroad would not only be an academic adventure, but also a strong test of resilience.


Ameera’s dream has always been to travel to Korea, and with the help of the university, she is now living there for a year. But while this sounds amazing, Ameera has had her fair share of tests since arriving.


Ameera...
The River •

Can your uni friendships survive betrayal? - The River

When we all saw Alan Carr ‘murder’ his best friend Paloma Faith on the BBC show Celebrity Traitors, viewers were shaken to their core. Not just because it was such an unexpected move, but because it unfortunately reminded me of something painfully familiar: the feeling of being betrayed by a best friend.


As I watched it unfold, I couldn’t help but think of the more minor, everyday betrayals that haunt student life, like your flatmate stealing your cheese that you literally wrote your name on,...
The River •

Bop or bot: Is AI taking over music?

Just a few years ago, the idea of a computer having the ability to write songs, or even DJing on your night out, sounded as if it was straight from a Black Mirror episode. But today, it’s our new reality. When you open Spotify, you’re greeted with ‘DJ X’ – an AI voice that supposedly curates playlists based on what you usually listen to, and what it thinks you’d like. It transitions tracks just like a real DJ and even speaks like a real person.


Meanwhile, Deezer also reported that they receiv...
The River •

Chai Nashta: Where Kingston meets the flavours of Mumbai - The River

Run by the married couple, Ashlesha (Ash) and Siddharth, and their friend Jaspreet, Chai Nashta goes way back to a long-held dream. Ash explains, “Chai Nashta was always a dream of ours to open, but we just never knew when to do it…one day we all decided to take that leap and were so happy we did.”


 I mean with the luring smell of freshly buttered Vada Pav as you walk past, I’m glad they took that leap too.



From the moment I walked in, I was welcomed with warm smiles and immediately show...

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