Ten students were selected to participate in a unique opportunity in Washington, D.C., called the CSIS Journalism Bootcamp, which took place November 11-15, 2019.

Students included were:  Molly Allen, John Chenowith, Emily Creery, Molly Hunter, Maria Kuiper, Jacob Maish, Ayotoluwafunmi Ogunwusi, Marisa Payne, and Cory Tays. Associate Professor, Brian Ekdale, accompanied the students on their journey to learn video and audio production, data visualization and how to report on various global issues. The program is designed to broaden students’ understanding of the media ecosystem and international affairs, while allowing application of their newfound insight and skills. 

Participant Jacob Maish explained, "The CSIS Journalism Bootcamp gave me the opportunity to do impactful journalism on a global scale with an incredible amount of resources at my disposal. It provided a glimpse into the daily life of a professional journalist, where we needed to work collaboratively and effectively to meet a hard deadline. The expert sources that we were able to interview and the technical experience I got on the video team was invaluable for my confidence as a journalist."  Jacob is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication and cultural anthropology with a Spanish minor at the University of Iowa. He plans to graduate in December of 2020.

Participant Molly Allen described her experience as "the perfect way to get interviewing experience." She continued, "I interviewed a lot of experts on Ugandan politics including Bobi Wine himself. This has given me a boost of confidence as I move forward as a journalist because if I can interview a presidential candidate, nothing can scare me! Additionally, the bootcamp inspired me to chase my passion for politics; in journalism, there are a lot of niches to report on, but my time in DC made me realize that politics is something I really care about." Molly is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication as well as English and creative writing at the University of Iowa. She is planning to graduate in May of 2021.

As a result of what they experienced, these ten students were able to produce this professional article.  

Congratulations to all of you!