14/05/2026
Kamila Eshalieva graduated from the Journalism and Mass Communications Department at AUCA in 2019.
While studying at AUCA, Kamila began reporting on social and political issues in Kyrgyzstan. After graduation, Kamila worked for Open Democracy, a British media platform, where she focused on underreported human-centered stories. Her reporting covered issues such as bride kidnapping, labor migration, HIV-related stigma, and environmental injustice.
She also served as a Russian Associate Editor at Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN), supporting investigative journalists across Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Kamila was selected for several international fellowships, which gave her the opportunity to attend journalism conferences and training programs throughout Europe and the United States.
In Spring 2026, Kamila earned her master’s degree in Communication from Clemson University on a full scholarship, where she also worked as a teaching assistant.
For her master’s thesis, Kamila examined technology-facilitated gender-based violence against women journalists in post-Soviet countries, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, and Russia.
Kamila will be joining the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University to pursue a Master of Arts in Investigative Journalism.
Kamila and the Dean of the JMC Department, Aizhana Dzhumalieva, met twice — in Spring 2025 and again in Spring 2026. Aizhana participated as speaker in the International Risk and Crisis Communication Conference organized by Timothy Sellnow and Deanna Sellnow, both faculty members at Clemson University.
What made the meeting especially memorable was the unexpected connection: Timothy had previously taught Kamila during her studies, and she later joined the same conference as a student participant. Their reunion at the conference became a wonderful surprise for both Kamila and Aizhana.
It was a warm reminder of how small and interconnected the world can be — AUCA JMC faculty, students, and alumni continue to cross paths and support each other in different corners of the world.
