Prateek Thought Journalism Was His Calling. He Wanted More.
Prateek Raj of the University of Cincinnati wanted to Offer Solutions
Prateek Raj graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the University of Cincinnati.
In the Beginning
While growing up in India, Prateek participated in Model UN. He found that he enjoyed meeting students from other parts of the world - discussing and debating issues.
With these experiences, his interest in Journalism grew. He already loved writing, reporting on world issues. He was fascinated by reporters going to distant parts of the world where a crisis or events were unfolding.
He decided to apply to the US to study journalism.
World History Class
In his second semester at the University of Cincinnati he took a World History class.
He started to get interested in human mobility, and how people survive in different environments,
Specifically people being moved from their native lands half way across the world during the Colonial times, like the indentured laborers from India to the Caribbean.
Studying Women in Post-War Societies
Slowly he started to focus on women’s issues related to post-war societies, especially women in households where the men had disappeared or been lost in the war.
Prateek wrote a paper on The Rohingya Refugee Crisis in Bangladesh, which he presented at a conference in Budapest.
His Capstone research was on the1990s militancy in Kashmir and what happened to the women left behind, the development of these matriarchal families, and how they seek social justice after.
He has been studying the effects of the Sri Lankan civil war, doing field study in Sri Lanka where he continues to study women’s issues related to the life after the civil war.
The Need to Dig Deeper & Find Solutions
As Prateek got deeper into researching Women’s issues, his interest in just Journalism started to wane.
For him, it was about going deeper and deeper, into the root causes of things than just simply reporting it.
For example, he is studying the effects of the Sri Lankan Civil War by doing research and fieldwork to gather data.
He felt the drive to continue to dig deeper and deeper, and find solutions.
International Affairs
Prateek felt that the “digging deeper element” was the major difference between Journalism and International Affairs;
Yes, he likes writing, but he gets to do that with research as well.
Research allows him to focus on more in-depth issues, lot of field work and finding the root causes;
Majoring in International Affairs allowed him to do that.
On with the Podcast
In this Podcast, Prateek shares his UG Experience as an International Student, Transition to the US, UG Research in Feminist Issues, Majoring in Int’l Affairs, and Advice for High Schoolers.
Listen to Prateek Raj, On his University of Cincinnati UG Experience. (61-Minute Listen).
What do you think of Prateek’s Story? Also, check out his Podcast above.
Have a Great Week!
Venkat