Five Fresno State students made history in May. They are among the first U.S. university representatives to present at UNESCO since America’s return to the organization. The Department of Media, Communications and Journalism students joined Assistant Professor Hanayo Oya at the prestigious World Press Freedom Day Conference in Santiago, Chile.
The students Jacquline Alvarez, Isabella Bonilla, Jaselina Garcia, James Sepeda and David Victor developed their presentation as part of Oya’s Global Campus Studio (MCJ 129) class. They shared the stage with Oya and Syracuse University Professor Benjamin Tete for a panel examining global press freedom issues.
At the heart of the student’s presentation was a compelling 10-minute video report, “Press Freedom Around the World,” featuring interviews with international journalists discussing press challenges and journalism’s future in their regions. The student presentation set the stage for Oya and Tete’s deeper exploration of press freedom in Asia and Africa.
The experience proved transformative for the students, as captured in their reflection video.
To learn more about this groundbreaking opportunity, listen to students Jaselina Garcia and Jacqueline Alvarez discuss their experience with Professor Oya on Artful Discourse:
This historic participation was made possible through President’s Circle funding and marks a significant milestone as one of the first U.S. university representations at UNESCO since America’s return to the organization in 2023.
Claude.AI contributed to this report.
The College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State 