Nargiza Ryskulova: "Teaching at AUCA is a way of giving back to the university"

January 14, 2016

Nargiza Ryskulova, an assistant professor of Journalism and Mass Communications at the American University of Central Asia (AUCA), tells about her work with students at AUCA and in the field of journalism.

"I belong to the tribe of infamous “FLEX” exchange students, which was my ticket to AUCA, and which became my ticket to the City University of London, where I successfully completed a degree in International Journalism.

For my entire life I’ve been pretty determined about journalism, particularly international and conflict journalism. Starting almost my freshman year at AUCA, I started interning for various local media outlets, including NTS and other local newspapers. Some of them were quite niche. For example, I ended up working part-time for a financial newspaper published for bank workers, which was very challenging since I am not great with numbers. But, at work anything adds to another and becomes an experience. While in the UK, I had a chance to intern and work with some very niche editorials, such as French Cinema, which only wrote about French Films in London. However, I also had internships with global services, such as BBC Outlook and the Daily Telegraph’s international desk. Upon my return, I focused my attention on international news companies in Kyrgyzstan, freelancing for the BBC Kyrgyz service and the Institute of War and Peace Reporting.

All of that experience led me to work as an all-in-one producer, journalist and anchorwoman for Internews Network’s “Open Asia” program in Kyrgyzstan. There I worked the longest hours I have ever worked. That being said, it was the most fulfilling professional experience I have had, too. At the moment, I am working as a media consultant for UNICEF, turning my career more towards communications. Everyday I learn something new, and for me, that is the definition of a good job.  

Teaching at AUCA is a way of giving back to the university that was my second home. Not only did I study at AUCA on full scholarship for four years, studying at AUCA also granted me an excellent education and unique opportunities I would not have gotten anywhere else. I returned to teach in the spring of 2013 and have not left since. I teach part-time and usually highly practical courses, such as photojournalism, new media, and multimedia skills.

My journalistic career taught me that in the professional media world it’s not about what grades you get, but about what skills you have. Because, at the end of the day, it is a profession of do-ers. In all of my classes, students are forced to step out of their comfort zones as receivers and become makers, writers, authors, journalists. They are pushed to challenge themselves until they are interested enough to start doing things. And that is when the fun begins.

Every semester I organize an exhibition for my photography class, because I believe something transformational happens when you see a real, physical print of the digital image you took. It teaches you that you cannot be sloppy. Others will see, and although they might not know if you are good student, they will know if you are a good photographer.

The same goes for my journalism courses: my students are pushed to publish in real new outlets, write for real newspapers, and create their own blogs. 

In teaching journalism, I don’t really believe so much in teaching as in mentoring, in guiding and helping students “put the puzzle together,” because it’s always about how well you can tell the story, not about how your teacher teaches you to tell it. When students understand that and have their goals set straight, together we can collaborate and make wonderful pieces of journalism.

AUCA students are a constant force of change. They are perhaps the most flexible material that shows and represents societal changes in Kyrgyzstan. It is very interesting to observe them and to work with them. JMC students, in particular, have always been the most challenging bunch because they are all very opinionated, while not necessarily hard-working. Every year it’s a challenge, but, being journalism students, they have the privilege of creative minds and a skill set you don’t learn from economics or European studies. They have the advantage of starting their jobs while they are still sitting behind their desks--that is fun.

Teaching general education students is always the most curious journey. I get software engineers, lawyers, international students and it’s a journey within, because photography (or any creative course) teaches me as much as it teaches them.

Travelling and reading are my two big loves, so I do these whenever I can. Since I am a storyteller by craft, I take snapshots of my travels and I blog about them. Last year I got more interested in studio and portrait photography, so I took an online course on it. Now I spend some time experimenting with that. I also co-founded a small handicraft studio where me and some of my friends think about our creative endeavors and make things. And when I really have free time, aside from all these things, I go horseback riding."

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