By DAMIEN CROGHAN
J Alumni News staff
Farook Baloch and Marina Marshenkulova
Since Sen. J. William Fulbright led the move to establish the Fulbright Scholars program in 1946, about 300,000 scholars from 155 nations have participated. This year, for the first time, two of those scholars are enrolled in the J school.
Farooq Baloch is from Karachi, Pakistan. Marina Marshenkulova is from Nalchik, Russia. Both are 27 years old, and both are pursuing master’s degrees at UNL, intending to graduate in May 2011.
Fulbright’s goal for the government-sponsored scholarship program was to increase understanding between Americans and people of other nations through an exchange of faculty and students.
UNL’s involvement seems to be a good fit. Frauke Hachtmann, graduate chair for the journalism college, said, “There is a strong international focus in our program.”
Farooq Baloch: Pakistani reporter dodged bullets and death threats before coming to Nebraska
Farooq Baloch said pursuing a journalism career was “the most beautiful accident of my life.” As a child, he loved studying English and hoped to become an English teacher. But the college requirements for that program were more stringent than those for journalism, so Baloch headed for mass communications.
After graduation, he spent four years as a field reporter for The News, one of Pakistan’s leading English daily newspapers. He spent his last 18 months there as an investigative reporter, covering stories involving crime and government corruption.
On several occasions he received death threats, both in person and over the phone. But he set those aside. “My country is struggling,” he said. “I cannot compromise my coverage.”
In the course of covering one outbreak of violence, Baloch hid under a bus for nearly half an hour. He was trapped in the crossfire for almost four hours until police got control of the situation. Almost 50 people were killed in that particular incident.
The stories of Baloch’s time as a field reporter may have helped influence the Fulbright Scholarship Committee to grant him the scholarship and send him to the United States. He was delighted.
“It’s the ideal platform for studying abroad,” Baloch said. “The U.S. is the premiere destination for a higher education.”
During fall semester, both Fulbright scholars took Literature of Journalism, Media Management and Visual and Aural Literacy II.
Baloch said he enjoyed Visual and Aural Literacy because it gave him a background in electronic media and Literature of Journalism because it “equips you with knowledge required for the field.”
And professor Joe Starita, who taught Literature of Journalism, said having the Fulbright scholars in his class added to its depth.
“Having Farooq and Marina in class underscores the richness and intellectual integrity of what a public university should be all about,” Starita said. “They are able to provide a global dimension to students from rural Nebraska.”
Although UNL was not Baloch’s first choice for his American studies, he said his experience in Lincoln had been “more than satisfactory.”
During his time here, Baloch intends to travel across the country. But he said he enjoys being in Nebraska. “It’s peaceful and quiet here,” he said. “Less traffic and people — and more space.”
It’s quite a contrast from his home city, Karachi, which he describes as the “New York of Pakistan.” More than 20 million people live in Karachi, and the city continues to expand rapidly.
“The [Karachi International] airport was originally built about 25 miles outside of Karachi’s city limits,” Baloch explained. “It is now in the middle of the city.”
Baloch is not quite sure what he wants to do once he returns to Pakistan. Even though he enjoys reporting for a newspaper, he might pursue a career in television. “There isn’t a lot of money in reporting,” he said. “Money attracts me to electronic media, but I’m not impressed by their stories.”
Wherever he ends up, he believes that his education here will help him achieve his goals. He also believes that education is the key to positive change in his country. “Good education is the only thing that causes change,” Baloch said. “A lack of education makes nations backward [in their thinking].”
Marina Marshenkulova: Student enjoys the give-and-take in American university environment
Marina Marshenkulova is no stranger to the U.S. She was a high school foreign exchange student in Massachusetts and has wanted to come back to the country for advanced study ever since.
Marshenkulova said American universities create a better environment for education. “The relationship between professors and students [in America] is something you don’t see in Russia,” she said. “Russian education is too focused on academia.”
The Literature of Journalism class she’s taking here is an example of what she likes about American higher ed. “I think the books and the way the class is taught is interesting,” she said. “I feel like an equal, so I participate in class.”
And the professor said Marina’s participation is enlightening for her Midwest student colleagues. “The students in class were shocked when they heard the Pentagon Papers would not have happened in Marina’s republic,” Starita said, “because the government would have shot and killed the reporters who did the story. “
Marshenkulova discovered her passion for journalism by accident. While working as an English teacher, she wrote an article for Soviet Youth and was encouraged to continue writing for the publication She wrote about culture, social, women’s and youth issues. She also wrote for the foreign publications of the magazine.
“I did everything,” she said. “I did investigatory journalism and wrote for glamour magazines.”
While she said she enjoyed writing investigatory pieces, she also liked writing softer pieces for glamour magazines. “Why should journalism always be serious?” she asked. “I like to write a good balance of articles.”
While Marshenkulova’s hometown, Nalchik, is a part of Russia, the people there have maintained a sense of their own culture. She considers herself Kabardian.
Nalchik is the capital city of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic, home to Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe. The area in southeastern Russia is famous for its ski resorts and hot springs. “It’s one of the cleanest, hospitable, ‘green,’ places in Russia,” Marshenkulova said.
Although she had lived in the U.S. before, Marshenkulova is still adjusting to life in Lincoln. She loves the Haymarket, the Farmer’s Market, the State Fair and the people.
“The people here are very nice and hospitable,” she explained. “[I wouldn’t] choose to live here, but I do enjoy being here. There aren’t too many distractions, so I can focus on my studies.”
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