For many students at American University, studying abroad is an integral part of their undergraduate experience. This past semester, I had an opportunity that less than 1% of undergraduate students have during their college careers – an internship abroad.

With the London Internship Program through AU, students spend half the semester taking classes with the Foundation for International Education (FIE), and then the second half of the semester interning with an organization in the UK. FIE coordinates these placements, using students’ written personal statements, interest surveys and their resume to match them with a suitable organization.

My internship placement was with UK-based organization Microfinance Without Borders, under Dr. Phyllis SantaMaria, Founder Director of Microfinance Without Borders. Microfinance Without Borders is an organization dedicated to developing seminars and workshops to educate people about microfinance. These seminars teach both students and professionals practical ways they can get involved in developing financial infrastructure for the world’s poor.

As the Microfinance Without Borders Communications Specialist, I focused on external outreach. This included writing blog posts, editing contact databases, and attending networking events on behaf of Microfinance Without Borders to further advertise our programs.

One of my most memorable experiences as an intern abroad was attending a conference at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Headquarters in London. The conference, called “Mobile Money in the EBRD Region”, featured a series of presentations and panel discussions on mobile money and microfinance in Eastern Europe. Panelists discussed how the world can use mobile phones to reach those who do not have access to formal financial institutions, giving them the power to transfer, withdraw and deposit money more quickly and efficiently.

Going to such a conference was a taste of the global perspective I had envisioned when I decided to go abroad. I walked away with the incredible sense that the world is getting smaller and that courageous, innovative individuals are able to spark positive social change.

My internship with Microfinance Without Borders allowed me to experience what a profession in global communications is like, while also introducing me to an entirely new field. Microfinance and social enterprise have quickly become subjects close to my heart, and I hope to do more with them later on in my professional career.

Interning abroad is a remarkable experience. I not only learned about the British corporate culture, but I also had the opportunity to compare the role of a communications professional in the UK versus the US. Now THAT is something to put on a resume.

When WAMU 88.5 began its life in the early 1960's as American University’s public radio station, it was a scrappy 4,000-watt operation outfitted with equipment from donations and military surplus stores.

The small outfit still managed to cover big moments, including the United Nations debate on Cuban missiles live, President John F. Kennedy's 1963 speech at AU, and the March on Washington.

Over the years, the station has grown to 50,000 watts and today reaches an estimated 805,000 listeners a week as the only NPR affiliate in Washington, D.C.

WAMU is now the metro area’s most listened to station, according to Arbitron, the radio industry’s primary data collection service.

Of people listening to radio in the region, more tune in to 88.5 FM than any other station, including talk, sports, and commercial music stations like WTOP and Hot 99.5, WAMU’s closest competitors.

But achieving the top spot in the D.C. market didn’t happen overnight, said Caryn Mathes, general manager of WAMU.

"It was the culmination of a lot of years of investment," she said. "We put together a strategic plan and asked how can we be relevant and significant."

Washington, D.C., is the seventh largest radio market, but WAMU is number one nationwide in average quarter hour listenership and number two for the share in average quarter hour, according to the Fall 2012 Arbitron survey. A Corporation for Public Broadcasting survey about public radio stations’ quantitative worth showed that WAMU’s impact was "huge," Mathes said.  

"WAMU's success over the past eight years has quite frankly been stunning," said David Taylor, President Neil Kerwin’s chief of staff who oversees WAMU.

In the first seven years of Mathes’ tenure, the station invested $7 million in new content and $500,000 to build out the digital department. She says they are now starting to see the payoff of that investment.

In the digital age, radio stations can no longer only provide terrestrial services. A revamped website, as well as a variety of podcasts, a robust streaming service, and on-demand archives have helped meet listeners where they are.

It’s not just about building up WAMU’s digital services, though. Mathes, who has been the station’s GM for eight years, thinks the station’s success is due in large part to its positioning as a community resource.

Not only does WAMU provide regular traffic and weather updates — utility services that listeners rely on — but that station has also invested resources in its local reporting. When Mathes came on board in 2005, WAMU had only five reporters in its newsroom. 

Now, there are 25 covering Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., politics, the environment, coastal affairs, and the federal government, among other beats. The station will also move this summer to a seven-story building, located at 4401 Connecticut Ave., NW, offering WAMU 88.5 more than twice its current operating space.

"One of the bedrock things we try to do is support lifelong learning and make the local to global connection," Mathes said. "We want to cover federal Washington and neighborhood Washington."

To that end, WAMU recently instituted a Public Insight Network, which encourages locals to share stories and knowledge about particular areas. So far, more than 2,000 people have registered and their contributions have led to more than 50 stories.  

WAMU also relies on a Community Council, an advisory board made up of a diverse group of people from the station’s coverage area. The council advises the station on programming and helps select a topic for the station to pursue in depth. This year, they decided to focus on the Affordable Care Act and its implications around the D.C. metro area.

WAMU would not be where it is today — the third largest public radio station in the country — without its anchor shows. The Diane Rehm Show and The Kojo Nnamdi Show have been on the air nearly a combined 50 years. NPR and Sirius XM Radio syndicate both shows. NPR Worldwide also broadcasts Rehm’s show. In this year's Washington City Paper Best of D.C. poll, Nnamdi is the readers choice for best radio personality and WAMU is the best radio station.

"We want to continue to be a national syndicator," Mathes said.

To that end, they’ve created Animal House, a show about animal science, pet behavior, and wildlife conservation. The show is broadcast on 30 stations. They recently piloted another show called The Big Fix — a forum for listeners to offer ideas on how to solve the country’s domestic issues. Mathes said they’re hoping to find funding to make that show a regular offering.

More people listening to the syndicated shows potentially means more donors, which is critical since the station is largely listener supported. While hundreds of thousands of people listen to WAMU every week, only about 52,000 are members. This is troubling to Mathes.

"The monetization model still isn’t figured out. Some people still feel that they don’t have to pay for our services," she said.

Still, annual giving keeps going up. That’s a good thing for WAMU, but it’s also a good thing for AU. The better the station does, the more people are exposed to AU’s name when they hear the station ID, "WAMU 88.5 American University radio. Where the mind is our medium."

"When WAMU is strong, thriving, and influential, that represents an extension of AU's role in the nation's capital and beyond," Taylor said. "So it is important for that rapport to be very strong and mutually supportive."

Mathes recalls meeting a listener once who encouraged her child to apply to AU because she was an avid Rehm listener.

"It’s a way to get our name out there and a way to get AU’s name out there," Mathes said of the station’s national and international reach. "It’s a huge advantage for the university to have a public radio station."

What a great semester it's been, full of fantastic student work, faculty achievement and some new faces, all capped off by a wonderful commencement. Check out video and text of speeches from 2013.

Nationally-Recognized Experts Join SOC

SOC is proud to welcome Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist John Sullivan, New Media Expert Expert Andrew Lih and Gaming Guru Lindsay Grace.

 

 

Brokaw and Clooney 'Remember JFK'

AU’s School of Communication and The Newseum joined forces on May 1 to present “JFK Remembered,” an event held in the Newseum’s Walter and Leonore Annenberg Theater. Read more

 

Chris Matthews Joins AU for JFK Speech Panel

The Hardball host paid tribute to JFK's "A Strategy of Peace" speech at SOC's event. Read more

 

 

Student and Alumni Achievement

Experiencing Cuba Through the Lens

Students saw the effects of the United States’ 50-year blockade of Fidel Castro’s Cuba, as well as the island nation’s culture, politics, and socio-economics. Read more

 

Meet Inaugural Google Journalism Fellow Jan Boyles

SOC PhD student Jan Boyles was one of 8 students selected for the prestigious Google Journalism Fellowship. Read more

 

 

AU Teams Up on International Sustainable Home Competition

American University has joined two other D.C. schools to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. Read more

 

 

Faculty Success

360 Learning: Professor Recruits Students to Work on Museum Exhibition

SOC's Maggie Stogner invited students to work on her latest project, Roads of Arabia. Read more

 

Professor Explores Changing Face of Midwifery in New Film

Maher's film follows DC-based nurse midwives, their patients, and the doctors they work with over a two-year period, documenting their stories along the way. Read more

 

Workshop Journalists Join A-List Celebrities and Producers on Showtime Series

Investigative journalists Mishi Ebrahim and Chuck Lewis work with A-list celebrities and producers on climate change documentary series. Read more

 

'From the Fields' to Capitol Hill

Professor Carolyn Brown took her film From the Fields on a national screening tour, from coast to coast and to Capitol Hill. Read more

 

Nisbet Explores Role of 'Knowledge Journalists'

Nisbet's paper examines Bill McKibben's career and impact on the debate over climate change. Read more

 

 

The Digital Future

NPR's Matt Thompson Teaching New Media Entrepreneurs

The School of Communication’s newest incoming adjunct instructor, Professor Matt Thompson learned media technology on the fly.
Read more

Digital Media Student's Work Gets Noticed

iTunes highlighted Pam Willenz's JuiceQuest podcast as "New and Noteworthy". Read more

This fall, game designer Lindsay Grace will join American University’s School of Communication faculty as an associate professor of persuasive gaming. Grace is an internationally exhibited game artist and designer whose Critical Gameplay collection has been exhibited in Asia, Europe, North and South America. He will play a lead role in shaping a new gaming initiative developed by SOC and the College of Arts and Sciences.

SOC Dean Jeff Rutenbeck is thrilled to have Grace join the faculty. He says, "Lindsay Grace is the ideal person to lead our multi-disciplinary game development initiative here at American University. His wide range of experiences and his proven track record of developing cutting-edge applications, courses, programs, relationships and collaborations will prove to be invaluable as he leads AU to the forefront of public-purpose gaming."

Grace comes to AU from a Miami University of Ohio, where he directs the Persuasive Play Lab within the School of Creative Arts and co-directs the Games Center within the Armstrong Institute for Interactive Media. He has taught 81 courses over 9 years in game design, interactive media design, programming, web design, writing narrative scripts and graphic design. At Miami, he taught Game Design, Interaction Design, Digital Prototyping, and the Design of Play.

Grace says, “I’m exceptionally excited to lead American University to a superlative position in persuasive play and public purpose games. I can think of no other institution as well poised to deliver such an innovative program.”

Professor Grace, who will be in the Film and Media Arts Division, received a BA in English and an MS in Computer Information Systems from Northwestern University. He received an MFA in Electronic Visualization at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Art and Design.

His areas of research include human-computer interaction, creative and critical gameplay, and web design and he is an expert in computer graphics, interface development, and middle-tier programming. Professor Grace has written a number of peer-reviewed book chapters, including “Critical Gameplay: Design Techniques and Case Studies” in Designing Games for Ethics: Models, Techniques and Frameworks. He writes regularly about interactive media design and education.

In addition to his impressive record in academia, Grace has been an independent consultant, web designer, software developer, and entrepreneur. Professor Grace utilizes both theory and practice when he creates his own games. Among the software he has developed are “My Child Knows Chinese,” “Mindtoggle,” and Polyglot, an educational game for learning language.

Public Communication professor Rick Stack’s new book Grave Injustice: Unearthing Wrongful Executions is being born into political battle.

In March, the Maryland House of Representatives and Senate both voted to repeal the death penalty. Before votes were taken, Benjamin Jealous, president and chief executive officer of the NAACP, cited Grave Injustice in his testimony as he made the point that capital punishment already has cost innocent lives. Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley is set to sign the measure into law in May.

As an activist in the Maryland campaign and a prolific thought leader in the anti-death penalty movement, Stack serves as an agent of change, as a researcher in action.

“To me, this is the issue. The death penalty is emblematic of the worst of society. It elevates vengeance over compassion, hate over healing. And, it’s the symbolic tip of the iceberg on a broken criminal justice system,” Stack said.

Seeking consensus on a highly politicized issue, Stack leverages innocence to establish common ground between conservatives and liberals. “No one wants to see the wrong person punished. If we kill innocent people, we destroy the credibility of our system,” he added.

The School of Communication professor has included students during each stage of the book’s development, from doing interviews to publication. The value of this kind of direct exposure to the research and writing process, not to mention the logistics of turning a manuscript into print, is an opportunity not lost on former research assistant Katie LeClair.

The 2011 Public Communication alumna said that she learned a lot about the justice system in the U.S. by working with Professor Stack.

“I saw how a book came together through the process of working with outside sources and editors, and I learned how I might be able to do the same thing with something I am passionate about,” LeClair said.

Another of Stack’s research assistants, Public Communication alumna Julie Arthur, agreed.

“[Stack] was an integral to my graduate school experience,” Arthur said. “He combines his professional and personal interests by teaching the principles of communication while examining efforts to change Americans' attitudes toward the death penalty--proving to all of us that we can choose our careers and make them meaningful, too.”

Published in April, one of Stack’s inspirations for his new book was the controversial execution of Georgia inmate Troy Davis, who spent twenty years on death row, though he is widely believed to be innocent.

Stack’s book provides descriptions of nineteen wrongful executions, articulating a powerful case for the injustice and flaws of judgment that factor into the court’s life and death decisions.

More: Watch Rick Stack’s book discussion on Grave Injustice on C-SPAN

“What I’ve tried to do is give voice to those erroneously executed, amplifying their tragic messages,” Stack said.

Stack’s previous book, Dead Wrong: Violence, Vengeance, and the Victims of Capital Punishment, tracks the American people’s attitudes toward the death penalty. It argues that to the present day, the way the death penalty is administered reflects more on society’s sensibilities than on justice. Stack asks his readers to consider what capital punishments says, not so much about the condemned, but about the rest of us.

As an expert in public communication and highly versed in social justice, Stack asserts, “you can apply public communication tactics to ‘a cause, a candidate or a can of corn.’ When you win over public opinion for a cause, you move the momentum toward change.”

Influencing public opinion is only part of the battle to repeal the death penalty, Stack thinks. It also requires changes in attitudes. “I don’t want violence to be considered an acceptable form of solution to societal problems. [Through my research] I want to hone in on these issues and take a more principled, enlightened approach,” Stack said.

School of Communication graduate student Sonya Dunn got an early commencement present: her short, The Bedroom, is the first film by an American University student to be accepted into the Cannes Film Festival. It will screen at Cannes later this month.

Dunn, who wrote, directed and edited the film, hopes to attend Cannes with the film’s producer and fellow SOC graduate student, Mychal Guyton, and has launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise necessary funds for the trip. In addition to the singular opportunity to see her film screened at one of the most competitive film festivals in the world, the experience would include workshops, conferences, premieres as well as networking opportunities such as special screenings and parties where she hopes to make contacts for future projects.

Dunn developed and produced The Bedroom during SOC’s Producing for Film and Video weekend MA program under the mentorship of faculty members Russell Williams, Matt McNevin, Randall Blair, Michael Turner and Paul Oehlers. Dunn says other faculty, including Chris Palmer, Olivia Foster and Adrena Ifill, “Have shaped me into a better manager of the complete process of media production.”

An award-winning director and writer accomplished in literature, theater, cable programming, web content and film, Dunn says that The Bedroom, “[E]xamines the struggle to remain intimate and connected within a relationship.” The thought-provoking film has also been the official selection at the LA Femme Film Festival (2012), Pan African Film Festival (2013), San Diego Black Film Festival (2013), Sista Doin' It For Themselves Film Festival (2013) and Martha's Vineyard African-American Film Festival (2013).

Dunn was also a semi-finalist in the 2011 Slamdance Writing Competition for her screenplay A Mother's Love. She is the creator of the award-winning web series Sista Wives and Testify.

School of Communication graduate commencement speaker Kari Barber exemplifies the experience and dedication that makes SOC's students stand out.

Having previously worked as a freelance journalist producing television, radio and print features in West Africa, Barber chose to pursue an MFA in Film and Electronic Media at American University to better hone specific skills. Not only has Barber attained her degree, interned with PBS' Frontline for two documentaries, and directed her own documentary thesis project, but she also has had two children while in the program. These experiences have shaped the message Barber will share with her peers at graduation.

"I really want to address the community. I think AU and SOC in particular do a great job of fostering a sense of community and helping students learn to work as a team in challenging situations, which is a strength of AU and SOC students that we can bring into the workplace and into our world," she explains.

As a student and a mother, Barber is also very appreciative of SOC's support in all aspects of her education.

"On a personal level I will talk about being a mother and a student," she says. "In all honesty we need to start talking about and thinking about as a society how we can make educational institutions and workplaces family friendly. SOC was a very supportive place for me in this respect."

 SOC staff and faculty were extremely supportive, says Barber. "I always felt like the staff was on my side and would do anything in their power to help me be successful and achieve my dreams," she explains.

"The professors are so diverse in their backgrounds, interests and strengths. That really allowed me to explore different styles, methods and areas of film and emerge with a voice, I believe, that is truly my own."

Since completing her MFA in December, Barber has made the most of her time and talents. She traveled to the Dominican Republic to fulfill her dream of learning Spanish, visited West Africa and France, and has been preparing her thesis film Baking Alaska for various film festivals. In the fall she will begin her job as an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Being selected as a commencement speaker means a great deal to Barber, who sees this as an opportunity to give back to the school that gave her so much.

"I wanted to do it because I am so proud of the work I did at AU and how far I came through the program, and I am so proud of my classmates who have done amazing films and media work and are going to amazing jobs," says Barber. "I couldn't imagine a greater honor from my time at AU."

All eyes are on President John F Kennedy.  As we approach the 50^th anniversary of his assassination there is a resurgent focus through programs, films and events on Kennedy's legacy and its relevance to our world today. For the Newseum, it is the debut of three exhibitions on JFK, "Creating Camelot," "A Thousand Days," and "Three Shots Were Fired." For American University, it is remembering the seminal 1963 commencement address, "Strategy of Peace," delivered at AU during the height of the Cold War.

AU's School of Communication and The Newseum joined forces on May 1 to present "JFK Remembered," an event held in the Newseum's Theater. Legendary journalist Tom Brokaw and SOC Distinguished Journalist-in-Residence Nick Clooney shared riveting stories of their experience as television reporters who were inspired by the vigorous young President. 

VIDEO: Watch C-SPAN coverage of the event

The sold-out crowd of over 500 included AU leadership -- President Neil Kerwin, Provost Scott Bass and Dean Jeff Rutenbeck -- and an impressive array of Washington VIPs; AU alumni, faculty, students; and Newseum guests.

Clooney returned to the Newseum to host the JFK program after a two-year hiatus from moderating SOC's Reel Journalism film series with featured news personalities.  Having interviewed Bob Schieffer, George Clooney, Brian Williams and Diane Sawyer on the same stage, he lightheartedly kicked off the evening by announcing, "I threatened to come back immediately, and here I am."

Brokaw and Clooney shared memories of how they were each personally impacted by Kennedy's presidency and by his death. When Brokaw learned of the assassination, he said, "I remember being riveted first by what I was reading. 'Shots were fired at the President's motorcade today.'"

Though painful, Brokaw believes that Kennedy's death deeply inspired a "welding of the country."

 "I thought, '[t]his is going to change us…. I don't know how, but this is going to make America somehow a different place," Brokaw added "My life was changed by that day."

Just seven months before the assassination, the 35^th President delivered the commencement address to AU's 1963 graduating class, a major nuclear non-proliferation speech that helped open the door to peace with the Soviet Union. The speech became a turning point in America's Cold War history.

"Genuine peace must be the product of many nations, the sum of many acts," Kennedy asserted in his speech.

"[Y]ounger generations don't realize in those days… it was a bipolar world," Brokaw said, and that, "[t]he speech became part of the evolution of John F. Kennedy… who was looking to, if you will,take the U.S. and the Soviet Union to a higher place."

AU alumni Bill Miller felt that Kennedy's momentous speech "held out an olive branch," and initiated a different approach towards the Cold War's volatile and tense international relations.

The veteran journalists were animated as they engaged in Q&A with the audience. Topics ranged from global politics to the media's role in partisan politics butreturned frequently to a theme of citizen responsibility. The two former anchormen noted that Kennedy's presidency exhibited a unique and unparalleled diplomacy that leaves an important legacy and example for U.S. citizens today. "I do think in the 21st century [America is] in a period of transition about what our standing is in the world, and how we relate to the rest of the world," Brokaw observed.

By exhibiting the strong sense of citizenship, social responsibility and public service, which framed Kennedy's presidency, the message within Kennedy's "Strategy of Peace" speech lives on.

For citizens, Brokaw's views were clear. "You have to get involved," he finished, "just as you have always done." Brokaw is working on a two-hour documentary on the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's assassination which will air on primetime later this year.

More on JFK at AU: american.edu/jfk.

Congratulations to the Class of 2013, their families, and friends! We’ve created a list of all the details you need to know for this weekend’s commencement ceremonies.

When: On Saturday, May 11, ceremonies include School of Public Affairs at 9 a.m., School of Communication at 1 p.m., and College of Arts & Sciences at 4:30 p.m. On Sunday, May 12, ceremonies include Kogod School of Business at 9 a.m. and School of International Service at 1 p.m. On Sunday, May 19, the Washington College of Law will hold a ceremony at 1 p.m.

Where: American University’s commencement ceremonies are held in Bender Arena on campus.

Watching from home: All AU commencement ceremonies will be broadcast live on american.edu/commencement.

Guests: Tickets are not required for admittance. In keeping with D.C. Fire Code regulations, AU asks that graduating students limit their guests to seven persons each.

Seating: Doors open 45 minutes before each ceremony. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. A seating section, located next to the ground-level entrance to Bender Arena, will be available for senior citizens and persons with physical disabilities and their families. Please refer to the special needs section of the commencement website for more information on seating and other assistance for mobility and hearing impaired persons.

2013 Commencement Speakers: Lisa P. Jackson (SPA), Darryl Frank (SOC), Paul Farmer (CAS), Gary Veloric (Kogod), Moises Naim (SIS), and Harold Hongju Koh (WCL). Read more about the 2013 commencement speakers.

Social Media: Join us on Twitter using hashtag #2013augrad. Also, follow AU Commencement 2013 on Facebook for all the latest news.

Where to park: We recommend that graduates and guests park in the Nebraska Avenue parking lot or the Katzen Arts Center garage, although all parking areas on campus will be open during commencement weekend (except for spaces marked “Reserved”). Those who park in the Sports Center parking garage are advised that exiting traffic will not be permitted to turn into the tunnel in front of Bender Arena following the ceremonies. Cars parked in the Sports Center parking garage or on the south side of campus will exit via Nebraska Avenue.

How to get there: The campus map indicates shuttle stops, disability parking, and drop-off points for commencement. Driving directions to AU's Bender Arena can be found online through googlemaps.com. The university will provide complimentary shuttle bus service to and from the Tenleytown-AU Metro station, which is on Metro’s Red Line. Shuttle buses will run every 15 minutes from the Nebraska Avenue and south-side shuttle stops. For information on getting to campus from BWI Airport, Dulles International Airport, Reagan National Airport, and more, follow instructions provided by the Office of Campus Life.

What’s not allowed inside: No large bags (backpacks, briefcases, duffel bags, etc.) will be permitted inside Bender Arena. Large signs, banners, noise makers, and other objects that hinder visibility or sound will not be allowed inside.

What should grads wear: In order to walk in a commencement ceremony you must wear a cap and gown designed especially for American University by Herff Jones. Caps and gowns must be picked up in the Campus Store on the second floor of Butler Pavilion during business hours from May 8 through May 11 and during the commencement ceremonies on May 11 and May 12.

Duration of ceremony: The ceremony is approximately two hours long and is immediately followed by a reception. Reception locations are listed in the printed program. If you are going to a restaurant after commencement, we recommend making reservations for approximately four hours after your ceremony's start. This will allow you time to attend your school's reception and return rental regalia (due by 6 p.m., Sunday, May 12). 

Diplomas: Most graduates will receive diplomas by early July. 

Photos: A selection of commencement photographs will appear on the AU website. Check the commencement website to view and download photos taken by the university photographers. Proofs of photos taken by the commercial photographer, GradImages, will be emailed to grads two weeks after the ceremony. Read more about purchasing photos and other mementos.

Sylvia Brookoff (SOC/BA '13) says that speaking at SOC's 2013 commencement is the perfect way to share her appreciation for the school that helped open so many doors for her.

"American University, and SOC in particular, is more of a community than it gets credit for," she says. "We have a faculty and staff that are so unique to AU, and many people don't realize that until they leave."

As a Film and Media Arts major and Marketing minor, Brookoff pursued many opportunities provided both by AU and outside of the school that incorporated and developed the skills she learned in SOC. Her impressive list of internships includes the Travel Channel, National Geographic, PBS, and even the chance to spend a month at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London where she was a production runner during the Opening Ceremonies.

She also created her own opportunities. During her time as an intern at The Washington Post, Brookoff created a video with fellow SOC film students covering Elton John's Charity Tennis Tournament. She submitted it to the Post, and their film was posted on the Post's site.

"I would advise everyone to take advantage of the partnerships that SOC [has with DC institutions]," she says. "I didn't realize how many opportunities were here, but they ended up being the most impactful part of college."

Brookoff's experiences at SOC eventually helped her decide what she wanted to focus on specifically through her major in Film and Media Arts. After visiting Nickelodeon as part of a New York site visit trip offered through SOC and the Career Center during her sophomore year, Brookoff became interested in children's media. Kathryn Montgomery's class Children, Media, and Society fostered this interest, which eventually led to Brookoff recently landing her dream job in Nickelodeon's Summer Associates program after graduation.

These experiences motivated Brookoff's speech, and were part of what made her stand out as the final choice for commencement speaker.

"Sylvia's speech describes, on a very personal level, the broad range of academic and professional experiences that students throughout SOC pursue," explains SOC Dean, Jeff Rutenbeck. "She did a fabulous job of connecting what she has done both inside and outside of the classroom to the prospects for her future which, in her case, means recently accepting an amazing job at Nickelodeon in New York."

The role of commencement speaker in itself is a personal achievement for Brookoff.

"I used to have a fear of public speaking. During my sophomore year I even took an acting class to overcome it," she says. "When I found out I would be a commencement speaker, I emailed my teacher from that class and told her how I went from being scared of speaking my sophomore year to being a commencement speaker my senior year."

When Megan Ackerman (SOC/BA '11), graduated from American University, she left knowing that working for something she believed in was essential.  Her job as Digital Media Strategist at FitzGibbon Media allowed her to bring national attention to the documentary The Invisible War and the issue of sexual assault in the military.  By playing a key role in building the film's impressively high profile for a documentary, she likely played a role in helping it receive an Oscar nomination. Ackerman was happy to have been able to work on the campaign – it's a cause she supports, and it is the kind of film she aspires to make one day – hard hitting and eye opening.

SOC Sat down with Ackerman to talk about her work with the film.

SOC: What does a digital media strategist do? What was your role in the The Invisible War project?

Ackerman: As a digital media strategist for [FitzGibbon Media], I was creating social media strategy plans for our clients and their campaigns. This involved posting articles on Facebook, tweeting relevant information and more. The Invisible War was also on Instagram, so I was taking pictures of survivors and supporters and posting them.

SOC: How did you get involved with FitzGibbon Media and the film?

Ackerman: The movie came before the company, and it all goes back to American. At AU, I met one of my best friends, Rachel. She ended up hired by FitzGibbon. The company got involved with the film, and they were looking for somebody with social media skills. Rachel knew I had them as well as a background in entertainment, and recommended me. I was then hired to work for the company.

SOC: Did you think that this documentary would be Oscar-worthy?

Ackerman: When I first saw it, I knew it needed to be nominated. I was hesitant to think it would happen because it's a heavy subject. While it's disappointing that it didn't win, the nomination gave a lot of attention to the issue that it wouldn't have otherwise gotten. It was a huge accomplishment.

SOC: What was your previous knowledge of sexual assault in the military?

Ackerman: I had a hint of the problem of military sexual assault, but I didn't realize how big it was. I didn't realize the cover-up involved, nor that men were raped as well. I personally have no attachment to military, but I know people who do.

SOC: Why is it important to expose this problem and what impact did the film have?

Ackerman: Regardless of your opinions, I feel like you should always support your fellow Americans. You have volunteers devoting their lives to fighting for our country, but these are also people that are being raped. It's deemed an occupational hazard by the Military's judicial system, and it's awful. You need to get the message out to civilians. They can stand up and say something. Congressmen need to be held accountable for making change happen.

Now there are so many members of Congress speaking out. More survivors than ever are coming out and talking about it – to their families, friends and news media. I had people contact me and say they were bringing family with them to see film because they didn't know how else to tell relatives.

When American University alumnus (SOC/MA ’08) Lagan Sebert began to document his sister Ke$ha’s rise to fame in 2010, he had no idea that his inside look at his sister’s career and life would become a highly anticipated series on MTV.

“Every day you struggle to come up with a new story. I came to the realization that the best story I was aware of was happening right in front of me in my family,” says Sebert, who was working as a video journalist for the Financial Times when he started the project.

With just an idea and a video camera, Sebert began to film his sister and her life on and off the stage. He also enlisted some old friends to help with the filming process, including Ted Roach, another successful SOC alumnus. With the additional help of Steven Greenstreet and Sebert’s wife, Sandra Sampayo, the small crew began single-handedly dealing with filming, sound and technical skills, as well as determining what to do with the finished product. Both Sebert and Roach strongly agree that without the skills they developed through SOC, their current projects would not have been possible.

“I use the skills that I developed at AU every day, from camera, sound and technical skills to documentary theory and story structure,” says Roach. “I compare the work that I did before coming to AU to the work I've produced since, and I feel the SOC professors, curriculum and course work are the biggest reasons that I have developed to the point I'm at today.”

Sebert agrees.

“One of the greatest things about the SOC program is that there are so many opportunities outside of the classroom –cameras whenever I wanted and access to facilities for post-production,”Sebert says. “I wanted to come to AU because of its partnership of journalism and film. I really wanted to tell stories visually through documentary with journalistic integrity,” he adds.

With the Ke$ha project, Sebert realized that documenting his sister gave him a new journalistic insight, one that would create a unique experience for the viewer unlike what any other producer could do.

“When you are documenting someone, your goal is to be an objective viewer and not interfere with reality,” explains Sebert. “But when you are documenting your sister, that unique barrier between the audience and camera is totally broken.”

Over 1,000 hours of film will be broken down into six, 30-minute episodes that will premiere on MTV on April 23 under the title “My Crazy Beautiful Life.” Sebert and his team capture Ke$ha behind the scenes of her concert tour, but also the moments that only a brother would be a part of, which range from serious to borderline ridiculous.

As with every star that exposes their personal life for public audiences, the question of a motive for publicity is always raised. However Ted Roach explains that there is much more to this series than a PR boost.

“I believe that one key factor in Ke$ha agreeing to let us film the series was that she wanted her brother to be around during this critical point in her career. People around you change when you become a star, and if I was in her shoes, I would look back to the people I knew before to keep me grounded. So I've always felt one big incentive was having Lagan there to support her, and he really is a great guy to have around,” Roach says.

After over two years of working on documenting his sister’s journey through fame, Sebert still considers his sister to be one of the biggest stories of his career.

“To me, it is a simple story: a story about a girl who realizes her dream to write and sing her songs to people all over the world and then struggles to hold onto her dream," he says. “The story is so good it shouldn't matter if she is famous or not."”

Communication alumnus and award-winning journalist Kevin Sites' new book The Things They Cannot Say is getting rave reviews from around the US.

Sites (BA '83) says the critical reviews are nice, but "the reviews from veterans letting me know the book is helping them to communicate with their families or communities makes it all feel worthwhile."

The Things They Cannot Say took three long years to produce and lives up to its title. "It's difficult to get soldiers, Marines and other service members to talk about their war experiences," says Sites.

In the book, eleven soldiers and Marines display a rare courage that transcends any battlefield exploits -- they share the truth about their wars. For each of them it means something different. One struggles to recover from a head injury he believes has stolen his ability to love, another attempts to make amends for the killing of an innocent man, while yet another finds respect for the enemy fighter who tried to kill him.

In The Things They Cannot Say Sites compiles hundreds of hours of his own reporting including audio and video footage, email correspondences, interviews with soldiers, Marines, their families and friends, and mines the work of some of war's greatest writers, thinkers and philosophers including Tim O'Brien, Karl Marlantes, J.Glenn Gray, Dr. Jonathan Shay and Edward Tick Ph.D.

Sites says he added to the intimacy of the accounts. " I share the unsettling narrative of my own moral failures during war and the redemptive powers of storytelling in arresting a spiraling path of self-destruction."

What he learns is that war both gives and takes from those most intimately involved in it. Some struggle in perpetual disequilibrium, while others are able to find balance, usually with the help of communities who have learned to listen, without judgment, to the real stories of the men and women it has sent to fight its battles.

Recent graduates from the Stategic Communication Professional Masters Program are excelling in their fields, and have high praise for the classes they took at AU, which they say helped prepare them for their jobs.

The Professional Masters Program in Strategic Communication, which was recently named one of the top five public relations graduate programs in the nation by PRWeek, is designed for the working professional who wants to take their career to the next level. The program prepares graduates for leadership roles in strategic communication for public and private sector organizations. Graduates become stronger advocates for their organization's strategic goals and objectives. They learn ways to effectively target audiences, ways to create compelling messages and best communication practices in a changing world of new media and evolving technology.

Ayofemi Kirby is the Communications Director for the United States Congress. She says that knowing her audience is a skill she developed while at SOC. “Knowing the audiences requires a different approach to engagement which includes research, empathy and the willingness to be wrong and make adjustments,” said Kirby. “This is an important lesson I learned at AU that think about and do my best to apply every day.” Read full Q@A

Corinne Hoare is the Strategic Outreach Director for Public Notice and a professor in American University’s Public Communication department. She said the reason she enjoyed the program was because of its diversity. “We were comprised of people from different countries, backgrounds, ages, and political affiliations,” said Hoare. “Some had a lot of work experience and some only had a few years. Every one of us took away something different out of the program. It is not an easy program, but if you’re willing to challenge yourself and to improve your public communication skills in a supportive and dynamic environment, this program is for you.” Read full Q&A

Stephany Greene is President of Stephany & Company, LLC., and author of Stephany's Style Secrets: 7 Steps to Live and Dress Your Best. Greene said she learned how to develop a public communication plan from a strategic point of view while in the program. “Anyone can draft a press release, or Google how to do it, but SOC taught me how to strategize public communications from the stage of initial conceptual planning, to the behavior and/or market changes I want to achieve,” said Greene. “Now I can forecast how my public communications and marketing campaigns will evolve over time, and I can come close to predicting the long term outcome as well.” Read full Q&A

Jarrett Bellini, SOC/BA ’01, is applying his skills of humor and video production to create a popular weekly column on CNN.com, appropriately titled Apparently This Matters. From “The Lobster iPhone Case” to “The Puppy Room,” Jarrett offers humorous observations of some of the most obscure and unique treasures hidden within the internet. In order to find such distinctive material for his column, he says he spends a lot of time online, of course, but has specific sites he frequents to search for ideas that are both “relevant and ridiculous.”

In addition to his weekly column, Bellini is using his degree in visual media as a senior producer for original video production on CNN.com. He credits this success mostly to his involvement on campus at AU, including writing for The Eagle and performing with AU’s Mission: IMPROV-able, the university’s own improv troupe. Jarrett says extracurricular activities helped develop his unique form of writing and comedic talent. When asked what prompted the specific path of humorist writing he amiably said, “CNN has some of the best political and international journalists on the planet, but I’m not one of them. This is how I contribute. I don’t know how to write without using humor.” 

Although he is now entering his ninth year at CNN, Bellini clearly remembers walking through the door on his first day as a young video journalist, determined to one day write and produce for the major news organization. It took eight years of hard work but he has finally achieved this goal, and he hopes to stay right where he is for nine more years. 

His advice to current students hoping for similar success is to “get involved with any of the media outlets offered at AU; the newspaper, the radio, and the TV station. It is a small school so students are able to have more responsibility and creativity to find their own voice and build their own work. And most importantly, stay on top of technology because it changes almost every hour.”

Alison Owings, SOC/BA ’66, saw the paperback version of her third non-fiction book, Indian Voices – Listening to Native Americans, released on September 23, 2012. 

Indian Voices takes readers on a journey into the lives of Native Americans from 16 different tribal nations. The author’s success with her first book, Frauen (1995), and a subsequent book, Hey Waitress! (2004), has only increased attention focused on her newest work.

Owings says that she has wanted to write books since she was 10 years old and has always had an interest in writing about people who are overlooked and stereotyped. When asked what she enjoys most about writing, Owings says, “In terms of non-fiction, forming the various elements from the interviews and my observations into a coherent and I hope compelling narrative.” She adds, “There is the aftermath too. It is a tremendous feeling when a reader tells me how a book of mine changed the way she or he thought about a subject or a people. Or, when a fellow writer is moved. One recent high was Louise Erdrich’s embracing me and shouting, ‘I LOVE your book.’” 

As for how her education helped her to her goal of being an author, Owings says, “I majored in journalism, with the great Harry Lee as one of my professors. In a sense, he taught common sense, how to write cleanly and clearly. At the time, I was not planning to write books, but the journalism lessons I learned at AU helped me once I changed from writing television news to writing books.” 

Owings admits that while she loves writing, the process of publishing a book is very difficult. The most difficult part of the book writing process is, according to Owings, “Time and money. Each of my books took seven years or more, in part because I had to work at least part time. And I am very thorough, double checking the transcript from every interview against a replay of the audio. But the writing itself I love. The many, many rewrites, I actually love too. I think I wrote 21 versions of the Introduction to Frauen before I was happy with it.” Oh, yes, and I tend to write long, or longer than the contract stipulated, and then I have to spend much time and energy slashing.”

When asked what advice she would give to those interested in writing and publishing their own books, Owings says that is not yet a fan of self-publishing. “So my advice for other writers is to weigh the pros and cons of self-publishing before moving in that direction. One could do something ‘techy’ and trendy online, but otherwise, the stigma is still in self-publishing, including among reviewers. And some self-published books are horrible, so that does nobody any good.”

Owings plans to write more books, but is unsure where she sees herself 10 years from now. But she hopes the answer involves wrestling the alphabet into new forms.

Exemplifying the School of Communication's role as a leader in the intersection of technology and communication is alumnus James Robertson, who has been approached by Packt Publishing to write the next update for "Drupal for Education and E-Learning"—a book that shows how Drupal can be used in the classroom to enhance the learning experience.

Drupal is an online content management framework that enables organizations to easily organize, manage, and publish content in a way that allows for sharing, collaboration, and interactivity.

Robertson, who received his MA in Journalism and Public Affairs, currently serves as a junior software engineer at REI Systems, an information-technology (IT) government contractor. He is part of a team that works in the open-government section of the firm, which involves publishing important government data online. He also says that he works with Drupal all day—so this project is a definite fit.

Even though Robertson doesn't currently serve/work as a journalist, he is involved with what he refers to as "the development part of journalism"—facilitating and developing the publishing of information that journalists can use.

"Journalism is practiced in so many different ways now," said Robertson. "It's not just traditional reporting anymore—the development side of things is just as much journalism as the production side of things."

Robertson's interest in the development side of journalism was sparked while he was a graduate student at SOC, and was further honed after he graduated.

"While at National Geographic, I worked on the production side of things such as writing stories—that's when I realized I actually liked the development side of things better," said Robertson.

Robertson was first introduced to Drupal as a teaching assistant for SOC professor David Johnson.

"He asked me to create a website for the American Observer," said Robertson. "He handed me a Drupal book and told me to learn it."

Robertson has always had an interest in programming, and even came with some experience in HTML website building from his undergraduate years. But the type of programming that Drupal involved was mostly foreign to him.

"At the time, I didn't know much about systems building and how servers work," said Robertson. "Drupal uses 'PHP' (PHP Hypertext Preprocessor )which is more like a traditional programming language than HTML. So, I had to learn a programming language and Drupal and systems administration and the finer points of HTML and CSS at the same time.."

His advice for current SOC students?

"I was presented with a daunting challenge and opportunity in which I had an interest but no formal training—my advice would be to accept these challenges and opportunities if it's something that interests you and to keep pursuing it," said Robertson.

His other advice includes thinking about journalism "from other angles" since it can be practiced in so many different ways today (e.g. blogging, development, etc.).

Robertson credits SOC for providing him with a lot of the connections and relationships that have gotten him to where he is today.

"They found ways to encourage the things I was interested in and helped me to find opportunities that aligned with those interests," said Robertson.

While at SOC, Robertson interned with USAToday, the Newseum, and SOC's Institute for Interactive Journalism (J-Lab).

With the U.S. job market lagging, many new graduates have had a hard time finding a job out of college. This wasn’t a problem for 2012 graduate David Mullins. Right out of college, Mullins was offered an internship by NBC4, NBC’s local Washington, DC affiliate.

A former School of Communication major, Mullins credits his job to his Intro to Studio Television class with Professor Sarah Menke-Fish. “Intro to Studio Television was one of the most practical classes I took at AU”, says Mullins. Through Menke-Fish’s class, students create short ‘webisodes’ for NBC4 at least once a week, and are given total control of the projects, allowing students to work as Director, Technical Director, Camera Operator, and even Host. Mullins says the class really prepared him for the professional world. He was able to walk onto the job already understanding all the jargon and the workflow. Mullins believes that the class put him way ahead of the learning curve and prepared him for his career.

While Mullins attributes his preparedness to Intro to Studio Television, he credits SOC’s Discover the World of Communication program for introducing him to Menke-Fish, SOC and American University - all key to his success. The DWC summer program is for high school students, and features intensive courses taught by AU faculty and communication professionals in a variety of disciplines.

DWC helps students learn to blend friendship with teamwork, a crucial skill that’s sometimes hard to find on the job. DWC class topics range from public speaking to animation to nature photography. “I was awed by the wide range of skills it provided me in just two short weeks. Obviously, this program helped confirm my choice of AU for undergrad,” says Mullins. Mullins believes that AU gave him the foundation he needed to build skills for his career through opportunities that only AU can provide.

Students interested in Communication or the Discover the World of Communications program, should visit the SOC Discover the World of Communications web page for application materials and more information.

When Mayra Rivera, CAS/BS ’13, was a senior at Bell Multicultural High School in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C., she was No. 2 in her class of 173 students. But as the daughter of El Salvadorian immigrants and with her mother a small business owner, Rivera wasn’t sure if she was going to apply to college.  

“I never heard of American University, even though I live here in Washington, D.C.,” Rivera says. “But during my junior and senior year, we had a representative from AU come over and give us a presentation, and I started thinking about it.”

Rivera applied to AU, and, thanks to a competitive financial package, she accepted. Four years later, with multiple federal work study (FWS) positions under her belt and a passion for working with children, Rivera is taking advantage of an assortment of student employment and volunteer opportunities both on and off the campus. As a first-generation student, Rivera is changing her family’s expectations about a college education and blazing a trail for her younger relatives while still finding ways to give back to her community.

Rivera has plans to use her degree in health promotion to educate children about the power they have over their bodies and choices. The adaptability and individuality of the subject appealed to Rivera.

“You have the power to change your health—to eat healthier, to exercise—and I feel like the reason why a lot of people don’t stick to diets or don’t go and work out is because they don’t know, they lack the education,” Rivera said. “So with health promotion, I’m learning how to implement programs and ways to approach how to make changes today.”

Sharing those lessons with children has been the main thrust of Rivera’s FWS positions with DC Reads and Kid Power. Introduced to the organizations through the Career Center’s Student Employment Coordinator, Tasha Daniels, Rivera worked with DC Reads for a year and then transitioned to Kid Power, where she has been for the last two years.

Students looking for FWS positions or part-time jobs on campus should regularly check the AU Student Jobs website, www.american.edu/studentjobs, keep an eye on list-serv or department emails that may advertise positions, and should be persistent, Daniels says. Look often, both before and during the semester, to see what kind of opportunities are out there, she suggests.

“Finding any job is a process,” Daniels says. “Keep applying until [you] land a position. … Submit professional application materials—resume and tailored cover letter—to increase [the] likelihood of landing a position.”

With both of her FWS opportunities, Rivera has been able to stay local and focused on her educational goals. During her time at DC Reads, Rivera worked with students one-on-one at CentroNía, a bilingual charter school in Columbia Heights—a five-minute walk from her home. At Kid Power, where Rivera both works as a FWS employee and is conducting an internship, Rivera is applying her knowledge about physical health and nutrition while leading whole classes.

“I was able to give back to my community,” Rivera says, and her impact is still felt years later. “The mom of the girl who I tutored at DC Reads works at Target and I also work at Target, and we always talk, and I always ask her questions about her daughter—I just saw them, and she’s grown up. And it’s nice to see they remember me.”

Rivera ensures the students remember her lessons about health, too. Thanks to encouragement from her Kid Power supervisor Shaden Dowiatt, Rivera is involved in the program Veggie Time, teaching students about gardening and nutrition.

“She’s fantastic; the kids really, really love her,” says Dowiatt, SIS/MA ’10, LAMB Site Director for Kid Power. “I think she relates really well to the students; she’s always very positive, smiles a lot, is pretty easygoing. Her passion and her focus is obviously on health education. This year she’s been doing an internship with me—she’s helped develop some of the lessons about nutrition and I’ve encouraged her to share those lessons with the students.”

And Rivera isn’t the only AU student at Kid Power. The organization employed both university alumni and 44 FWS students in fall 2012—about five to six AU volunteers are located at each of Kid Power’s 10 sites, Dowaitt says—and that atmosphere creates an undeniable sense of camaraderie.

“This past summer, we had this close connection,” Rivera says of her AU peers who also worked with Kid Power at their summer camp. “We all hung out at night, we had dinner and stuff together—we created this little AU family.”

And as for Rivera’s own family, they’ve been affected by her college choice, too. Although her mother was initially skeptical of her decision to apply to AU and hoped Rivera would help her with her small business, she’s grown to appreciate that Rivera “wants to do more”—“she’s always encouraging me, and now she brags about me going to college,” Rivera says. And Rivera’s younger sister has followed in her footsteps, and is currently a student at Georgetown University.

With graduation coming up in May, Rivera hopes to volunteer with other health- or children-focused nonprofit organizations and eventually gain employment at one; graduate school isn’t out of the question, either. But for now, she’s staying with Kid Power, hoping to introduce students to healthy recipes and eating habits. Without these FWS opportunities, Rivera says she’s not sure how she would have been able to so effectively prepare for her career.

“I never heard of Kid Power or DC Reads before federal work study, but it’s my interest to work with kids and to help them,” Rivera says. “If it weren’t for [FWS], I don’t know how I would get this experience.”

Recently AU alumna Kelly Conniff, SOC/MA ’09, joined TIME as social media editor, where she manages the brand’s presence on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, FourSquare, and Pinterest.

Kelly says that her motivation to start a career in journalism began at an early age. Her parents were big news and magazine readers. “During school I always enjoyed reading, writing, and analyzing content,” she says. “Due to my fascination with it, it was suggested that I take journalism courses. Once I did that, I began writing for the school newspaper and attended grad school. It was then that I decided that I wanted to pursue it as a career.”

Kelly admits that working in social media journalism has its pros and cons. When asked what she likes and dislikes most about working in journalism, she says, “I am a news junkie and I enjoy staying on top of what’s going on. I also really enjoy storytelling and reading the work of my colleagues who are the best at what they do. Since the emergence of social media, we are challenged with looking for new angles for stories that have already been told, which is exciting. Conversely, the most difficult thing about being a social media editor is turning it on and off. Working for a news brand, content has to stay fresh. Because of that, it’s hard to take a sick day or vacation. This type of job, while exciting, really affects the way that you live your life.”

According to Kelly, her experiences at AU were beneficial to her career. “AU is a great school for a number of reasons,” she says. "The thing that I loved the most was the program at SOC. You didn’t just sit in the classroom. They asked you to go out, report, and write a story without a lot of direction. That’s the best approach, in my opinion.”

Kelly also found faculty at SOC to be great resources. She says, “AU has fantastic professors. Lynne Perri, for example, was amazing. She was very beneficial to my career and many of my classmates. She has a number of connections in the D.C. area, and she helped me to obtain an internship at National Geographic, which turned into a full time job.”

Since social media jobs are relatively new, most don’t understand the responsibilities involved with being a social media editor. Of what might constitute a typical day, Kelly says, “Most of my day is spent updating the social media accounts, specifically, Twitter. I review the feed, how people are responding to our news, and adjusting the flow of the news that will come. Additionally, I pitch story ideas for TIME.com, assist with writing articles for the magazine, and act as a resource to my colleagues.”

While Kelly is pleased with her career accomplishments, she says that the field is changing rapidly so it’s tough to speculate where she will be 10 years from now. She says, “If you had told me ten years ago that I would be the social media editor at TIME.com, I would have never believed it because this type of job didn’t exist then. So, my job ten years now probably hasn’t been thought of yet. That’s the great thing about this field. Ideally, I will still be involved in digital online news. This is where my passion is.”