2016 alumna hired as international broadcaster

Ei Thant Sin ’16 on the set for Voices of America Burmese

Communication studies graduate Ei Thant Sin ’16 was recently hired as an international broadcaster for the Voice of America (VOA) Burmese news service in Washington, D.C.

VOA provides radio, TV, and digital programming in 45 different languages to a weekly audience of more than 134 million. VOA Burmese has more than 5.5 million subscribers on Facebook, where radio and TV shows are aired live. A native of Myanmar, Sin is currently a TV anchor for the network, and broadcasts international and Myanmar news in the Burmese language.

As an international student, Sin said her courses at Randolph helped her better understand the power and importance of the media in both the United States and across the world.

“Communication studies classes allowed me to view the world’s media more consciously and be aware of what we, as the public, consume daily,” Sin said. “Now, as an international broadcaster, I am utilizing my knowledge on media theories that I learned in Randolph classrooms and am more aware of what we put out there for the public to listen.”

While at Randolph, Sin was a writer for the Sundial and handled public relations for the Panworld International Club. She also completed several internships, including one at the VOA Service Bureau in Yangon, Myanmar, where she gained experience in on-site reporting and the use of recording software. Thanks to that internship and her continued communication with the bureau, she was offered the job in July.

Sin said attending college in a foreign country, along with the connections she made and the lessons she learned at Randolph, helped improve her confidence and changed her perceptions.

“I grew up under a dictatorship where curiosity is shut down and questions were discouraged, where obedience signifies politeness, and where being an outspoken woman could carry a negative connotation,” she said. “At Randolph, I learned about respect and appreciation of different strong suits everyone has. I learned that learning doesn’t stop in class, and GPA is not the only ruler that measures me. I learned to be a strong, independent, and outspoken young Burmese woman who fights for her rights.”