More than a decade after her first study abroad experience in Morocco, Catherine Cartier still describes herself as “a forever exchange student,” carrying the curiosity and openness she first developed during her year abroad into every stage of her life and career.
Today, Catherine is based in Beirut, working as a Visual Verification Producer at Reuters with coverage spanning Lebanon and the wider region. She uses satellite imagery and eyewitness video to report on conflict, energy, and breaking news, a position that, as she puts it "didn't exist ten or fifteen years ago."
After her high school exchange year in Morocco with YES Abroad, a State Department-sponsored program implemented by Amideast, Catherine went on to earn a Truman Scholarship and a Pulitzer Center Fellowship, among other accolades. She completed her undergraduate degree in History and Arab Studies at Davidson College, followed by a joint master's in Global Journalism and Near Eastern Studies at NYU. In 2024, she received the Overseas Press Club Foundation Scholar Award. "The more I knew, the more I realized I had so much more to learn," she says.
The more I knew, the more I realized I had so much more to learn.
Among the work she's most proud of is her reporting on the human toll of conflict, including stories on displaced migrant workers and refugees. "The people I've interviewed are facing incredibly difficult circumstances," she says. "Many of them have fled home multiple times and have little prospect of returning home, yet they still choose to share their experiences with journalists and I'm proud to play a small role in bringing their stories to readers around the world." She's also candid about the risks journalists face in the region and credits the solidarity of her colleagues for keeping her going.
That journalistic instinct took root during her YES Abroad capstone project, when she researched the changing role of the hammam, the public bath, in Moroccan society. She wandered neighborhoods looking for bathhouses and struck up conversations with workers willing to share their expertise. "Looking back, that was a very journalistic experience," she says. "I learned to strike up conversations with strangers, ask questions, and synthesize information." The project also gave her something harder to teach: self-belief. It gave her the confidence to pursue opportunities she may not have otherwise.
It's a special community full of people who are striving for positive change in the world. Being part of that gives me hope when the world feels dark.
Catherine is equally quick to credit Amideast for the community she found along the way. Her closest friendships and key professional connections all trace back to fellow YES Abroad alumni. "It's a special community full of people who are striving for positive change in the world," she says. "Being part of that gives me hope when the world feels dark."
For students dreaming of careers in international journalism, her advice is this: stay open to where the path leads and invest seriously in language learning. "I can't imagine doing my job without speaking Arabic," she says. "I'm very grateful to Amideast for getting me started on that path."
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