Anel Ramazanova - Spring 2008

Anel Ramazanova

I would like to thank SHFW and ICFJ for such an outstanding opportunity. Thank you for giving me a chance to practice and learn about American print!

I'm from Kazakhstan, one of the former Soviet countries, which celebrated its 15 years of independence in 2006. Journalism in Kazakhstan is relatively free by Central Asian standards, but in comparison with Western standards it is censored. I would say today Kazakhstani journalism is passing through a stage that developed countries passed through several decades ago.

I'm in my final year as a journalism student at Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research. KIMEP is a Western-style university, with professors from countries including the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Pakistan. By the way, it is the best University in Central Asia and will be internationally recognized in a few years. I've made my contribution working one year as a member of "Accreditation Group Work." Other universities still teach journalism in the Soviet style, with flowery language, opinions and the expectation of censorship.

My classmates and I will be among the first to graduate from KIMEP, and we expect to change and develop journalism in Kazakhstan into a force for freedom of expression.

I'm majoring in international journalism and my minors are public relations and media management. I am a reporter in my independent student newspaper KIMEP Times and I am a teaching and research assistant at Political Science Department at KIMEP.

I interned as a broadcast reporter in Internews Network agency, Almaty. I interned as PR manager assistant in National Atomic Company "Kazatomprom." I have experience working as an interpreter. I spent two years as PR specialist and then supervisor of KIMEP Student Government.

In August 2005, I stood among 31 students from Central Asian countries and participated in an International Journalism Conference organized by the American Councils for International Education. There, I met for the first time my teacher and friend, Timothy Kenny, a journalism professor from the University of Connecticut. From him, I learned about the Scripps Howard Foundation Semester in Washington Program. I decided to try to see if my lucky star would give me a chance to practice in American print what I've been taught for four years at my university.

Change is good in my life and is something I strive for. I love travel, sport-ballet dancing and tennis.

When I return to Kazakhstan, I plan to continue my journalism work and use all my newly gained knowledge and skills in Kazakhstani journalism.

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