Job Title:
Bureau Chief, Pakistan/Afghanistan, Voice of America News
USC Course of study: M.A., Broadcast Journalism
Describe your current occupation:
I am VOA’s lead correspondent covering news events in Pakistan and Afghanistan. I file daily radio news stories and work on frequent feature stories to provide broader context and analysis.
How did you get there?
I started out interning for VOA while still at Annenberg and accepted an offer to work on a month-to-month basis for them after I graduated. I was based in Hong Kong for a little over a year before taking the position in Pakistan.It sounds fairly straightforward but at the time I had cast a very wide net, interning as much as possible my first year at USC and really trying to speak with as many professional journalists as I could to try and figure out what I wanted – and would be able – to do when I graduated.
How did you get your first job?
I started as a summer intern through USC’s international internship program.
How did your experience at Annenberg help?
I had worked for several years as an international aid worker before attending Annenberg. At the time I knew I wanted to be a foreign correspondent but I had never worked as a journalist and wasn’t convinced I would be able to switch careers. Annenberg provided me with an ideal "reporter’s toolkit" and background in basic journalism – more than enough to hit the ground running after I landed my first job in the field.
What advice do you have for current Annenberg School students in your occupation?
Take advantage of every single opportunity that comes your way at Annenberg. Go to every lecture, join every campus news program, get to know every one of your professors and explore every possible internship. It is what you are paying for and you will likely never again have the opportunity to indulge your professional curiosity with such freedom.
In your opinion, what is the Annenberg Advantage?
For me the greatest advantage was the professional network on campus and around the world. There is no question that I wouldn’t be where I am today if it were not for the personal and professional support that Annenberg professors and staff gave me. My teachers were genuinely – personally – invested in my education and my career. Even as an alumnus I receive e-mails from several professors who have been tracking my career (and offering advice) and constantly come across other alumni in the business everywhere from L.A. to Northern Iraq.