On Monday, Feb. 3, 23-year-old senior photojournalism student Glenn Luther embarked on an extraordinary journey. Traveling to Kabul, Afghanistan as the first undergraduate foreign correspondent, Luther will be representing Kent State University and its Journalism and Mass Communication program as an assistant teacher of photojournalism to students in Kabul.

William Gentile, Assistant Professor of Journalism, chose Luther for this internship with Aina. Luther was one of the many students who met a founding member of Aina, Manoocher Deghati, when he visited campus and classes taught by Gentile shortly after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. A non-government organization, Aina is sponsoring Luther for this six-month internship as he brings the knowledge he has gained as a Kent JMC major to students in Kabul.

"I hope to bring the students the knowledge of the craft I've gained here at Kent State, as well as the Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle," Luther said. "Also, just a short time ago, it was illegal for these people to even own cameras. I hope to bring the students an understanding of photojournalism so they can go out and capture images in areas where I could never go."
"Luther will be bringing the students knowledge so far beyond their current reach," said Gentile. "Even some of the teachers don't have the technical knowledge Luther does. He'll also be bringing to them an enthusiasm for the craft they're probably not familiar with."

While Luther will be contributing his strengths to the students of Kabul, he will be gaining much in return. He will earn six credit hours for this internship; three as credit for Photojournalism 2 and three as credit for Broadcast Documentary. But he will gain much more than academic progress.

"He is going to accelerate his career and life experiences by a couple of light years," said Gentile. "There are journalists who wait their entire professional lives for this type of opportunity and never see it. It's an extraordinary opportunity, and he'll make the university very proud."

Luther's gain will be Kent State's as well.

While Luther is in Kabul, he will be corresponding weekly with Gentile's Photojournalism 1, Photojournalism 2 and Broadcast Documentary classes via AOL instant messenger. Luther will also be corresponding in this manner with two Political Science classes on terrorism taught by Adjunct Professor Al Edgell, who in the 70s was the Peace Corps' director in Afghanistan.
"Luther's involvement in this program will help our students realize that the world surrounding Kent, Ohio, really is accessible to them, and that's so important," said Gentile. "Luther's internship is the beginning of something really momentous for Kent State University," This is, to say the least, an unusual internship. The opportunity and approval for it went far beyond the normal paperwork.

"This program is a direct outgrowth of Gentile's own experience," said Jeff Fruit, Interim Director for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. "This is our first attempt at foreign correspondence, and the opportunity came directly from Manoocher's visit last year. He knew Gentile and the university, and when he decided it was time for an intern, he came here first."
This program was made possible in part by the support of the university.

"We are very appreciative to Dean Richard Rubin and Provost Paul Gaston for their support of this project," Fruit said.
This Web site will carry updates on Luther throughout his internship. As he prepares to leave, any fears or concerns he may have are overshadowed by the opportunity that lies ahead.
"Why did I choose to go? My question would be why not," Luther said. "What better place to teach and learn photojournalism than the backyard of terrorism? This is where the news is happening."