I am a senior at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in Qatar, building expertise in journalism, media tools, digital design, film and audio, data science, research, and strategic communications. I have produced two documentaries, a few short films, podcasts, and articles on issues of migration, human rights, culture, music, the global south, and postcolonial theories. I am currently producing a one-person-documentary and an investigative journalism piece with the Pulitzer Center on The Illusion of Fair Trade. 

My film, Mitakpa, produced with The Institute for Advanced Study in the Global South at NUQ, was selected in Early Bird International Film Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria, EU Youth Film Festival in Qatar, and Janakpur International Film Festival in Nepal.

My documentary, The Human Cost of Nepal's Yarsa Gold Rush, published in the Nepali Times, was showcased at the Mediterranean Film Festival in Rome, Italy, where I was part of the student jury. 

I also have a deep passion for music and the arts. I perform at music shows, events, open mics, and live performances. I have performed guitar and vocals at the FIFA World Cup 2022, Msherib Museum, and Backyard Battle 2024 and 2025 (band voted as crowd favorite). 

I am writing to highly recommend Shrijan Pandey for any future endeavors in the field of audio production and journalism. As a Senior Audio Producer at Al Jazeera English, I had the pleasure of mentoring Shrijan during his internship with our team.

Shrijan exhibited an exceptional level of dedication and creativity while working on an episode for 'The Take' podcast. His ability to explore and articulate complex topics, such as artificial intelligence in the music industry, showcased his keen journalistic instincts. Shrijan's passion for storytelling was evident in the meticulous research and thoughtful narrative structure he brought to the project.

Throughout his internship, Shrijan demonstrated strong communication skills and a collaborative spirit. He engaged with the team effectively, seeking feedback and incorporating suggestions to enhance the overall quality of the production. His proactive approach and attention to detail were invaluable assets to our team.

I am confident that Shrijan's talent, work ethic, and adaptability will make him a valuable asset in any professional setting. I wholeheartedly endorse him and believe he has the potential to excel in the field of audio production and journalism.

- Sari el-Khalili, Senior Audio Producer at Al Jazeera English. 

IAS Undergraduate Global Fellowship: Under this year-long fellowship, I have been training extensively on documentary production and research to tell stories from the Global South.

JOUR_326-0 Documentary for Journalists: In this course, I have extensively learned about the different forms of documentaries and have received training to produce my own documentary.

JOUR_301-1: News Gathering and Assessment: In this course, I have learned about indepth storytelling, sourcing, and writing different beats of stories, which will be helpful for my long-form piece.

JOUR_201-0: Journalistic Storytelling: In this course, I have learned about different forms of journalism, including photojournalism, writing extensive and well-researched articles, and producing short and long form news packages.

JOUR_305-0: Podcasting: In this course, I learned how to experiment with scripts, learn different techniques of storytelling and interviews, and use different multimedia tools to tell impactful stories, which will be helpful for both my documentary and long-form piece.

JOUR_205-0: Research for Reporting: In this course, I have learned the fundamentals of research, including creating surveys and analyzing data, which will be important for my data collection.

MIT 190-0: Media Construction: In this course, we produced short films, news packages, video profiles, and photojournalism pieces. 

Other courses: Ways of Knowing (postcolonial theories), Media and Society, Principles of Economics, Journalism in the Digital World, Intro to Philosophy, Intro to Psychology, and numerous liberal arts and production courses and workshops.