Alumni Spotlight: The Intersection of Migration and Media Studies

Tell us about your time in MIMS.

I was a member of the first cohort, so the program was still being defined. It was a challenge, and we experienced a few rough patches, programmatically speaking. But I valued the opportunity to help shape a new program, and our feedback was clearly valued and incorporated into real change. That being said, having the chance to contemplate migration from so many perspectives — in 2016 nonetheless — has changed the way I see the world completely. When we began our program, the mere idea of human migration was under attack, and we were learning about each policy and practice as public discourse simultaneously drifted farther from what we were learning was right and true. It was jarring. In addition to the timeliness of the MIMS program, I learned just as much from my classmates as I learned from our curriculum; as someone who does not have an immediate, personal experience with migration, that was invaluable.

What is unique about MIMS that inspired you to join and how did the program prepare you for your future career path?

I applied to MIMS for many reasons. I know that migration, while being a timeless human tradition, will only grow more unwieldy as a world issue if our leaders don't address it with realistic solutions. So, I wanted to have an understanding of some of the complexities we're facing, and those we'll face down the road. I'm a videographer and writer, but the way mainstream media covers stories of migrants has always bothered me. So I wanted to approach the topic from the Media Studies perspective, and MIMS was the only Migration program that saw the value in that. I wasn't discouraged from applying because of my lack of Political Science experience; in fact, they helped me catch up.

MIMS helped to prepare me for my future by giving me a much clearer understanding of this complex topic, and how to appropriately interact with the topic and communities most heavily impacted by migration issues. The flexible options for our end of program deliverable (thesis vs applied project, etc.) also gave me the opportunity to practice the specific storytelling facilitation methodology that I was interested in. Since learning this style of facilitation, I've conducted similar workshops with increasing regularity, both within my current role and within personal projects, which has been seen as a rare skill in an emerging sector of my field.

What is one of your fondest memories while at USF?

I attended USF for my undergraduate degree, as well. So, I have a lot of great memories and it's difficult to choose. But during this degree, I enjoyed our semester in Mexico a great deal. While it wasn't perfectly administered, I was able to enrich my classroom experience by meeting many different Mexicans with many different perspectives about our bi-national relationship. It was an essential part of my learning experience.

What are you up to now?

I currently work as the Outreach & Communications Officer for the Fulbright Program, meaning I run their social media and manage their multimedia projects. My understanding of migration issues has been helpful in this transnational environment, especially in terms of my cross-cultural communication skills. I also conduct digital storytelling workshops for academic, professional, or community groups that are looking to learn impactful storytelling skills.

What advice would you give to current MIMS students?

I would encourage them to be as creative with their thesis papers and projects as they want to be. I valued the flexibility and openness that our administrators exhibited regarding our research topics and end products. Migration intersects with everything, so they should feel free to explore it from any angle that genuinely interests them. Also, make friends within the program and reach out to alumni, even if it's just a LinkedIn connection. Networking should ideally be a huge takeaway from any MA degree, and as a relatively small school and a new program, we need to prioritize staying connected to one another. You never know what opportunity might arise!

“The Power of Story: Digital Storytelling with Migrant Women in the Era of Trump” (2018)

Working in partnership with StoryCenter in Berkeley, California, Katy was able to facilitate a three-day workshop in which five migrant women came together to share their experiences and transform their memories into short audiovisual projects in a series they call Stories of Resistance. The premise of the workshops is that sharing first person narratives gives storytellers the opportunity to build solidarity within and between migrant groups, as well as educate non-migrant populations and policymakers about the realities of the transnational migrant experience. This methodology allows for a greater democratization of media technology that she believes is necessary to change the discourse on migration and add to the archive of positive and humanizing migration stories. She aims to encourage multimedia activism, education and creative expression through this scalable, grassroots model.