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ALUMNI STORIES

A born storyteller's dedication leads to a dream job

Pooja Handa

Co-host, CP24 Breakfast

Follow Pooja @poojahandatv
PHOTO: JOANNE RATAJCZAK

IN 2014, JOURNALISM GRAD POOJA HANDA became the Co-host of CP24 Breakfast. At work, Pooja seems like a natural. She's funny, elegant and poised. But Pooja will be the first to tell you that coming across well on camera requires years of hard work.

“The people that make it look so easy are usually those who do the most work behind the scenes,” she says.

Pooja has been working for 12 years, starting right after her graduation from Seneca and York University. She completed a Journalism diploma and Women's Studies degree in four years. (Most do it in five.)

“I loved being at Seneca. It didn't feel like work,” says Pooja. “And we constantly had guest lecturers, telling us what it was like in the business.”

Pooja knew early in life her career would be in front of a camera. Her first love was acting, which she studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. As a child, Pooja would deliver imaginary traffic reports to her dad. Storytelling was a big part of her family life, and it's instrumental to her career today.

“At a very young age, probably at the annoyance of everybody, I loved telling stories,” says Pooja. “The best part of my job is that I get to be myself, have a ton of fun, and tell people in the city what's going on, maybe give them a chuckle to start off their day.”

Connecting with CP24 viewers each morning isn't a responsibility Pooja takes lightly. It's also a tribute to those who came before.

“It was hard to find people who looked like me on TV,” she says. “When I saw Monika Deol and Suhana Meharchand, I thought, ‘If they can do it, I can do it.'”

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