Ten months of studies have passed quickly for the disciples of the 13th promotion, who came to the CSAJ in September 2018, to complete the new generation of journalists from the Republic of Moldova. There have been ten months of intense work, unprecedented challenges, memorable experiences, and meetings with local and international experts. And, on 3 July 2019, in a festive atmosphere, the students saw their dream come true, enjoying the long-awaited and well-deserved certificates of study.

The event started with the opening speech of the CSAJ Director, Aneta Gonţa, who congratulated the fresh graduates for their diligence, courage and resistance during their studies and urged them not to succumb to the difficulties in society, but to further shape the path to a successful journalistic career.

The ceremony was also attended by some of the instructors who guided the graduates in the job training. Diana Railean, a CSAJ graduate and journalist at Radio Free Europe, encouraged the young ladies to build their careers at home and, together with their colleagues, contribute to local media improvement. Eugenia Cretu, reporter in the „Pur și Simplu” Project on the same radio station, advised them to strictly observe the Journalist’s Code of Ethics and, in any case, not to be manipulated. The idea was also supported by the instructor of the Multimedia Newsroom course, Victoria Dumbravă. “Be always correct! Go to work in serious media institutions, where you can practice quality journalism and apply all the knowledge you’ve got at school!”, added the editor-in-chief of the Agora.md portal.

The award ceremony followed, and in the end, the graduates thanked the CSAJ and CJI administration for the opportunity to learn journalism from the best professionals in the field; the trainers for sharing their knowledge and experience, for their encouragement and professionalism; and the colleagues – for an effective teamwork and friendship.

The School of Advanced Journalism is a project of the Independent Journalism Center, established in cooperation with the Missouri School of Journalism (USA), the CFPJ (France) and Free Press Unlimited. The school is designed on the basis on advanced postgraduate training programs for journalists and has been created in accordance with the highest international journalism standards from Europe and the US. This year CSAJ was supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).