Humphrey Fellows 2011-2012

Andreza Andrade has a bachelor’s degree in socio-communication and journalism from the State University of Paraiba. From 2005 to 2010, she worked as a communication and project adviser for Instituto Socioambiental, a Brazilian nongovernmental organization whose mission is to propose integrated solutions to social and environmental issues. Andrade also has worked with indigenous populations in the northwest Amazon to foster digital inclusion. She plans to develop her new media skills to further these efforts with minority populations.

Mona Abdel Alim has master’s and bachelor’s degrees in political philosophy from Faculty of Arts, Alexandria University. She is head of media and coordinator of the advocacy unit for Alexandria Business Association, which monitors private-sector business in Egypt. She intends to build her leadership and multimedia skills while at Cronkite.

Lubna Benjamin has a master’s degree in international relations from Quaid-i-Azam University and a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Viqar Un Nisa College for Women. Since 2006, she has been an associate producer for Geo TV’s current affairs talk show, “Capital Talk.” She will study broadcast production and television news techniques.

Hao Chen has a bachelor’s degree in the Malay language from Beijing Foreign Studies University and also has studied journalism at Universiti Putra Malaysia. He is the executive editor of the International Herald Leader, published by China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency, one of the largest news agencies in the world. He will study digital media and its effects on traditional media as well as the business of journalism.

Antonio Jimenez has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Universidad de Costa Rica and has studied social media and English at Columbia University in New York. As executive editor for ameliarueda.com, he oversees a venture by one of Costa Rica’s leading reporters that has broken ground in convergence across media platforms. He will study new uses of mobile technology for news production and distribution.

Lejla Kapetanovic has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Faculty of Political Sciences. Since 2010, she has been an associate expert for communication at the Public Administration Reform Coordinator’s Office, creating internal and external communications and managing social media for an office charged with reforming public administration in the country. She hopes to improve her skills in social and digital media for use in corporate and governmental communications.

Evgeny Kuzmin has a specialist in journalism designation from Amur State University. He is director of the Amur.Info news agency and its website, where he leads a team of editors, programmers, designers and reporters in content production. He is from Siberia, an area in eastern Russia, close to the Chinese border. He plans to study new media, media management and business journalism while at the Cronkite School.

Taati Niilenge has a bachelor’s degree in media studies from the University of Namibia. She is a reporter at the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation with reporting expertise in tourism, mining, labor and environmental topics. Previously she worked for the Namibian governor’s office in the area of public relations and regional politics. In addition, she is passionate about gender issues and HIV, and has been involved in the publication of several books exposing the suffering and changing roles of women and children in Namibian society.

Lujain Shafeeq has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Westminster in the United Kingdom and a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Curtin University of Technology in Australia. He also holds a certificate in broadcast journalism from the Ministry of Information and Arts in Maldives. He is the communications and creative director for a company specializing in information solutions for businesses. He also is a news anchor for a private television station and lectures on multimedia journalism at The Maldives National University. He is interested in new media and communication theory.

Elena Strapkova has a master’s degree in economics and tourism from the University of Matej Bel in Slovakia. She is vice editor in chief of Gastro magazine, which covers travel and food for Slovakian and Czech audiences. In her spare time, she travels the world as a freelance travel reporter and researches ways to promote tourism within her home region. She hopes to enhance her public relations and communications skills in order to promote her country as a tourist destination.