1. AARON MARSHBURN
1393 South Milledge Ave. Athens, GA 30609 • (704) 999-9719 • aaron.nomadstudios@gmail.com
EDUCATION
University of Georgia: Athens, GA. (August 2007-present)
Majors: Candidate for BA in International Affairs, ABJ in Journalism, Minor: German
GPA after 117 hours: 3.90, Expected graduation: May 2011
Oxford University: Oxford, England (May-June 2008)
Maymester study abroad program including extensive travel during and after the program
Completed six hours of coursework in Common Law and International Conflict
Collegiate Awards:
UGA Foundation Fellow (premier university scholarship), 2010 Grady College McGill
Fellow, Asian American Journalists Association grant winner to attend the 2010 AAJA
National Convention, Blue Key Honor Society, National Society of Collegiate Scholars,
2008-9 AKL Academic Brother of the Year, 2008 Interfraternity Council Representative
Intership
EXPERIENCE
Transitions Online foreign correspondents course – Prague, Czech Republic: (January 2011)
Student
- Worked with established media professionals during a11 day training course designed to
prepare young journalists from around the world for careers in international reporting
- Produced a serious piece of international reportage focusing on the possible extension of
the controversial soviet era Temelín nuclear power plant in Southern Bohemia
CNN Idea Lab – Atlanta, Georgia: (September-December 2010)
Intern
- Worked 20 hours a week as part of a creative think tank designed to generate innovative
approaches to CNN programming, while shaping the face of the CNN brand
- Developed project pitches and staged “Freethinking Fridays,” a weekly company-wide
brainstorming session with programming executives on major news initiatives
- Gained hands-on newsroom experience working with the CNN Newsroom and Backstory
show teams to produce content for air.
South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe: (May-July 2010)
Volunteer, Photojournalist
- Gained an in-depth understanding of the difficulties of living with disabilities through
hands on interaction during 10 days as a volunteer at the Camphill community for special
needs children in Hermaunus, South Africa.
- Examined issues of education inequality during a weeklong stint working at Sinsehlene
primary school in the Khayelitsha township in Cape Town, South Africa.
- Developed an nuanced understanding of the social and political forces that have shaped
the modern histories of Zimbabwe and Mozambique with a special emphasis on their role
in explaining the current difficulties faced by the people who live there.
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2. Independent Travel Study -- Mae Sot, Thailand: (June 2009)
Freelance Journalist
- Examined the complex political issues behind the Karen insurgency as a free-lance
journalist and photographer during 25 days along the Thai-Burma frontier
- Conducted interviews with Karen insurgents during 5 days I spent documenting the lives
and experiences of Karen refugees at the Umpiem Mai refugee camp
- Reported on one of the largest single flows of refugees out of Burma during the June
2010 government offensive against insurgent positions along the Moei River
- Won a 2010 Asian American Journalist Association grant for two projects I completed
- Gained upper level Grady College credit for independent research
Sao Sary Foundation -- Kampong Speu and Phnom Penh, Cambodia: (May 2009)
Grant Writing Intern, Executive Board Member
- Combined field research I conducted in targeted communities with an assessment of the
organizations progress and future goals to author the SSF 2009 Progress Report
- Following my internship, I joined the SSF executive board as a general consultant tasked
with managing overseas donations through an American bank account I set up
Grady College McGill Fellow – Athens, Georgia:(October 2009-April 2010)
- I was selected by the Grady faculty for one of 12 awards recognizing the top students in
the Grady College of Mass Communication
- Served on the student committee which selected the recipient of the prestigious McGill
Medal honoring an American journalist whose work best exemplifies journalistic courage
Council on International Educational Exchange -- Lage, Germany: (July 2006-July 2007)
Youth Ambassador
- Congress-Bundestag scholarship recipient to study in Germany for an academic year
- Built the foundation of an enduring relationship with my adopted community, while
broadening my cultural understanding through daily life with a Russian host family
- Developed near-fluency in German through focused language training, full immersion
within the German school system and extensive independent travel
New York and Washington D.C.: March 2008
- Eight-day interactive program designed to bring UGA’s brightest students in contact with
our nation’s leaders in business, politics, public health, the media and the arts
San Luis, Costa Rica: March 2009
- Eight-day trip to the Monte Verde cloud forest and Puntos Arenas volcanic area as part of
a targeted hands on program to learn about sustainable agriculture and conservation
Taveuni, Viti Levu, Naviti Islands (Fiji): (March 2010)
- Intense ten-day crash course exploring the relationship between Fiji’s cultural history and
community based ecotourism, including multiple home-stays
- Spearheaded a fundraising campaign to help rebuild the village of Waitabu, which was
destroyed by Cyclone Tomas the week after my departure
LANGUAGE AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Fluency in German, basic conversational Spanish
Proficiency with a broad suite of digital post-production software
Strong writing and visual storytelling skills
Database management: Microsoft Excel
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