Aakriti Ghimire
By Seo-Hee Hong
Aakriti Ghimire graduated with a BA in legal studies and a minor in natural sciences. Currently, she works as a reporter covering social affairs for the Kathmandu Post, the largest English national daily in Nepal. Many of her articles have been published on the newspaper’s front page and her bylines have also been featured in The Wire.
Working in the Kathmandu Post was not part of Ghimire’s initial post-graduation plans. In fact, she had intended to take a break to reflect on the past four years she spent at NYUAD. “I didn't have a clear or concrete path, but by my spring semester, I really knew that I needed a break,” she said.
I actually really enjoy being a journalist! I get to talk to people and write; my extroverted self is extremely exhausted but fulfilled at the end of the day.
Surrounded by friends searching for jobs in the UAE or graduate schools abroad, Ghimire found herself applying for jobs on LinkedIn with the location set on "worldwide." Amidst the sounds of frenzied mouse-clicks and clattering keys, she had forgotten that for a long time she had closely-held onto the desire to work in her home country, Nepal. Ghimire ultimately decided to move back home to take a gap year. The two main activities she planned to do were reading, and writing. That included challenging herself to write for 12 hours straight on a weekend. Over time, she says, her introspective form of writing became more evocative and vulnerable as she wrote on family dynamics, love, and relationships.
Until one day, she heard about a job at the Kathmandu Post from a friend. Ghimire saw this as an opportunity to naturally transition out of her gap year and to pursue a job that incorporated her interests for reading and writing.“I actually really enjoy being a journalist! I get to talk to people and write; my extroverted self is extremely exhausted but fulfilled at the end of the day,” Ghimire added.
Despite the steep learning curve, she has been enjoying navigating the differences between journalistic and academic writing. Ghimire credits the liberal arts education at NYUAD with helping her approach social issues with a variety of perspectives. Through her current role, Ghimire plans to develop a ground-level understanding of social issues in Nepal and continue her studies in law in the near future.