April 7, 2008 (Vol. 7, No. 6)

Multilingual Journalism Major Mulls Over Grad School Offers

Graduating senior Aisha Al-Muslim had a tough but exciting decision to make this semester—she was accepted into seven graduate schools, including Northwestern and Syracuse universities. In the end, a full scholarship from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism helped the multilingual journalism major make her choice.

Al-Muslim, who is editor-in-chief of the student newspaper Meridian, has a resume that includes internships at WCBS-TV, WABC-TV, People en Español, and CBS Evening News' Weekend Edition. Recently, she was selected to participate in The New York Times' Institute for the National Association of Black Journalists, a two-week, hands-on program that will be given next month at Dillard University in New Orleans, and she also has received a scholarship from New York Women in Communications.

Born in Panama, Al-Muslim has a passion for languages, specifically French, Italian, and Spanish, and dreams of becoming an international journalist. Her favorite broadcast journalists are Maria Celeste Araras, the hostess and managing editor of Telemundo News/Entertainment program's "Al Rojo Vivo," and Patsi Arias, co-anchor for Noticiero 47, Telemundo.

Her career with the Meridian began as a staff writer in sophomore year, advanced to news editor in her junior year, and ultimately to the position of editor-in-chief in senior year. In 2007, she established the Lehman chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (N.A.H.J.) and serves as the club's current president. The club helps students network, find jobs and scholarships, and hosts seminars with editors, reporters, and producers.

"Aisha is an excellent leader and has great integrity," says Lydia Quiroz, Lehman's assistant director for campus life. "This club is one of the most organized. She conducts events to raise money to be able to attend the annual Unity Convention for minority journalists, which includes the N.A.H.J."

One of the club's most successful events is "A Day in the Life of a Media Professional Series," in which industry professionals talk to students about what they do on a daily basis and how they became journalists. Previous guests have included representatives of CBS's "Entertainment Weekly," True TV (formally Court TV), and The New York Times.

This story was contributed by Irene Perez-Morales, a senior in the Adult Degree Program who currently works for an investment banking company.

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