The entire SJMC team was busy this month hosting several major events on campus and around town. We started October with the Midwest Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association conference on campus. We hosted scholars and popular culture critics for a three-day event that featured several presentations from SJMC faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

During his time as an undergraduate student, SJMC junior Sean Keene has studied abroad three times thus far. Through his podcast "Around the World in 80 Stays," he hopes to share his own experiences, highlight global perspectives and acknowledge how study abroad experiences help to shape character as well as career trajectories; that is, especially in journalism.

SJMC faculty, graduate students, and alumni presented research at the 2025 MPCA/ACA conference hosted at the University of Iowa in early October.

This past summer, numerous SJMC students completed internships; that is, locally, nationally and even internationally. In this piece, 20 SJMC students reflect on their internship experiences, the skills they gained and how these opportunities shaped who they are as storytellers.