Nonprofit Public Relations Strategist
Media in Ghana
Senior, Journalism and Psychology Major
Media in Ghana internship: For her Ghana internship, Jaclyn helped with communications for the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights, a nongovernmental health organization. She wrote blog posts and newspaper articles, managed social media, produced newsletters, and more.
Dream career: Working in a public relations firm in Portland, Seattle, or San Francisco
On-the-job training: I have a new perspective on the professional world. Ghana changed my confidence level. You have to simply jump into things and trust yourself to accomplish whatever may come at you.
Living abroad: It was eye-opening. We visited some tourist spots, but we also got to see what it’s like to immerse yourself in the culture and experience the workplace. I felt like I was really there, instead of just going on a vacation.
“When you live in another country, you become more independent and confident about what you can do.” — Jaclyn Robinson
Global Perspectives
Few experiences teach you more about other cultures (or yourself) than living abroad. Students in the SOJC’s Media in Ghana program spend six weeks learning firsthand about that country’s history and culture. Through full-time internships, they also learn about Ghana’s media industry—by joining it.
Students live in shared housing and participate in university-led field trips and educational programs. But during the week, they become media professionals. As interns, they work full-time at newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations, advertising and public relations agencies, and nonprofit organizations
That means all the same challenges as an internship across town. Except you’re across the world, where just finding your way to the office—let alone to the scene of a breaking news story—can be daunting. As they experience what it’s like to work alongside other professionals, students also learn about the different cross-cultural and resource challenges facing the media in Ghana.
But the deepest lessons are often unplanned. World travel brings with it serendipity, surprises, and calamities—moments that (even if they are challenging, especially if they are challenging) become the stories of a lifetime.
Living and working abroad also leads to new friendships and authentic cross-cultural experiences. For example, interns inevitably join their Ghanaian colleagues for lunch and discover where—and what—the locals eat. Sometimes, they visit their homes and meet their families. Students have even been invited to weddings and funerals.
Six weeks in Ghana isn’t about predictable. Or easy. But you’ll get an education that you can’t find in any lecture hall.
What Our Alumni Are Saying
“To travel to Ghana, live with other like-minded students, and work with professionals in your field of study is a special opportunity.” — Ryan Schoeck
MS '12 (Journalism)
Copy Manager at ASSOS of Switzerland, GmbH
For his internship, Ryan worked at the Daily Guide, Ghana’s largest privately owned newspaper. Dan Le, another UO student on the trip, was an intern at Orakle Advertising, an agency that was working on a major nation branding campaign. Ryan offered to help as a photographer and ended up creating an iconic image that would act as the official brand for the country.
