Graduate Students
Students across CMCI find ways to bring together their personal interests and academic pursuits. Since the college’s founding, we have showcased this diverse collection of student work.
A PhD student and documentary filmmaker is trying to understand how leaving the country influences how Black American men form their identities.
As conversations around solar farming entered the Statehouse, two student journalists found themselves on the forefront.
Leysia Palen was awarded Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ’s highest honor for faculty—the title of distinguished professor. She offers a deeper look into her groundbreaking research career, her mentorship methods and her goals for the future.
CMCI Dean Lori Bergen talked with three alumni from across the country—John Branch (MJour’89), Jackie Fortiér (MJour’13) and Vignesh Ramachandran (Jour’11)—over Zoom last summer about their day-to-day experiences as journalists.
Master’s student Audrey Mayes grew up in rural Texas and knows firsthand how hard it is for busy workers to consume news. So she created a podcast, Where the Aud Things Are, to elevate the rural perspective on wildlife issues in Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ.
In 2022, the climate-action organization Mission Zero partnered with CMCI for the first time, donating $25,000 to further climate-focused work in the college. Faculty and students undertook seven grant projects, tackling climate issues through innovative storytelling.
CMCI graduate students worked with the state in their quest to map and track environmental injustice in Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ. Through digital storytelling, students highlighted communities’ environmental concerns as well as the histories of people living in those places.
Samira Rajabi, assistant professor of media studies, spent years battling a brain tumor. Her experience of trauma and finding support through social media inspired research she hopes will help others.
Ever felt like your doctor’s questions missed the mark? Carey Candrian (Comm’04; MComm’07; PhDComm’11), associate professor of health communication at the Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ School of Medicine, shares why healthcare needs to be reimagined one sentence at a time.