Story by Carleigh Oeth

Photo by Karly DeWees

One thing has really stuck with me from the beginning of my studies in the UO School of Journalism and Communication: I’ve been told repeatedly — and by multiple professors — that experience is what will get you far, at least farther than grades alone. This terrified me. But it also invigorated me, because like many students, I’ve always despised sitting in classrooms. The SOJC places an emphasis on spending time in the field to perfect your craft, and I was ready to live by this.

Story and photos by Meerah Powell

Growing up as a black woman in the predominantly white city of Eugene, Oregon, I have often felt limited and even, at times, invisible. It made me realize I am in a very unique position — a position that has made me hyper-aware of my surroundings and of not only what I see in the media, but what I do not. This situation has ignited my curiosity for looking outside mainstream media and into other overlooked and underrepresented stories, and it has made me want to tell my own stories as well. That’s what brought me to journalism.

Story by Zach Putnam

Editor's note: This is the final post in a three-post series written by SOJC students who interned in Ghana this summer through the Media in Ghana program. Read the other two  posts, “Six weeks in Ghana: Unexpected lessons and no single story” by Rachel Benner and “Giving Ghanaians the skills to tell their own stories,” also by Zach Putnam.

Story, photos and video by Zach Putnam

Editor's note: This is the second post in a three-post series written by SOJC students who interned in Ghana this summer through the Media in Ghana program. Read the first post, “Six weeks in Ghana: Unexpected lessons and no single story” by Rachel Benner.

Media in Ghana student Rachel Benner made many new professional and personal connections during her six weeks as an intern at the Starr FM radio station in Accra, Ghana. Photo courtesy of Rachel Benner.

Story by Rachel Benner

Editor's note: This is the first post in a three-post series written by SOJC students who interned in Ghana this summer through the Media in Ghana program. 

Story by Forrest Welk, photos by John Collins