Meet the new Head of Education Programs!

Meruert Shalbayeva, a semi-finalist for the prestigious Student Academy Award and a Berkeley alumna, has taken over as head of educational programs at the International School of Journalism. Her five years of experience in the Kazakhstani media and internships in the world’s leading publications as well as in film industry will undoubtedly open new horizons for our students.

She graduated with a Master’s degree in Journalism from the University of California (Berkeley) from 2021 to 2023. She has interned in the United States at The New York Times, Boston Globe, Poynter, Tampa Bay Times, and in France at AFP (Agence France-Presse), RFI (Radio France Internationale), France TV.

During her studies in the USA, Meruert had time to plunge into the world of American documentary film industry and made a short documentary film “Surfactant”, which was a semi-finalist of The Student Academy Awards.

We wish Meruert lots of creative success and good luck in her work!