Cronkite Humphrey Fellowship welcomes new cohort of international professionals

The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship is welcoming 13 journalists from around the globe and the second largest cohort in its 13-year history into the program at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

The Humphrey Fellowship, which began this month, is a 10-month academic program in partnership with the U.S. Department of State and Institute of International Education that invites established journalists from emerging democracies around the world to take part in academic studies and gain professional experience in the United States. At the Cronkite School, fellows receive leadership training and mentorship from Cronkite faculty, leadership and staff, as well as build meaningful professional connections in Arizona. 

The Cronkite School is the only journalism and mass communication school in the United States to host the Humphrey Fellowship program. 

“We are thrilled to welcome this new cohort of Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows. In a time when democracy and world peace are under threat, this program is fundamental to building bridges of understanding between nations and peoples from different cultures,” said Juan Mundel, director of global initiatives at the Cronkite School. “In addition to fostering diplomacy, this program is vital to the internationalization of the Cronkite School, and it allows students to hear different perspectives from professionals who work abroad and develop long-lasting friendships through initiatives such as the Global Friends program.”

This year’s cohort arrives from 12 different countries, including four nations that are represented in the program for the first time: Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, the Solomon Islands and Zimbabwe. 

Blessing Jona, a journalism and media studies lecturer at the National University of Science and Technology in Zimbabwe, is one of the fellows in this year’s cohort. Jona said he is looking forward to the connections he will make that can help him revitalize the film industry in his home country.

“Coming from a context where the film industry is not thriving and where the entire university where l teach does not have a TV and/or film studio on campus, the Humphrey Fellowship has immediately exposed me to well-equipped studios and efficient production models. I’m confident that the fellowship will also open me up to great networks, which will all make it possible for me to be a key player in the revival and growth of the Zimbabwean film industry, in my capacity as a media studies lecturer who teaches film production courses,” he said.

Nellija Locmele, editor-in-chief of IR, a weekly magazine in Latvia, said that she is excited to learn from journalists in the United States during her time in the fellowship.

“As editor-in-chief of an independent media organization in Latvia, Europe, I am looking for bold sparks of inspiration at the Cronkite School, ASU and throughout my Humphrey Fellowship year. I’m excited to learn from outstanding USA professionals who are creating top-class journalism while figuring out the most sustainable ways of reaching out to ever more fragmented audiences and keeping quality media a strong footstone of democracy, even in this ‘post-truth’ world,” Locmele said.

2022–23 Humphrey Fellows in Journalism:

• Doreen Ampofo, Ghana.
• Katerina Borushka, Belarus.
• Emmanuella Dago-Akribi, Cote d’Ivoire.
• Meer “Ahsan” Habib, Bangladesh.
• Blessing Jona, Zimbabwe.
• Teddy Kafo, Solomon Islands.
• Hakob Karapetyan, Armenia.
• Joonggun Lee, South Korea.
• Makepeace Sitlhou, India.
• Nellija Locmele, Latvia.
• Jihea Yang, South Korea.
• ZahidunNisa, Pakistan.
• Anastasia Zhukova, Russia.

Written by Connor Fries, brand engagement and communications aide for the Cronkite School.