Rachel Bonner
Hometown: Duluth, MN
Major: Advertising
Minor: Business Administration
Internship: Citi FM
Hello, hello! I’m Rachel Bonner, a group member of UO’s Media in Ghana 2018. As an incoming senior, set to graduate in 2019, I am very excited to add Media in Ghana to my list of collegiate experiences. I am an advertising major that is very interested in using advertising for good rather than evil. The environment is very important to me and I am interested in a career aimed towards convincing people to care about the environment. In Ghana, I am hoping (and expect) to expand my cultural awareness past anything I have ever imagined. I am also very excited to increase my professional skills through my internship with Citi FM. I’ve been interested in traveling to Africa as long as I can remember. My whole life my grandmother has told me stories of her time living in Kenya. I am incredibly ecstatic to be given this opportunity as it is now my time to travel to the continent of Africa.
Makenna Crocker
Hometown: North Bend, Oregon
Majors: Advertising & Dance
Internship: Net 2 TV
I tend to enjoy the simple and random aspects of life. Aside from my love of deep talks and cheesy puns, my passions lie with dance and creative writing. As a major in dance and advertising, I aspire to find the perfect blend of art and culture to spread messages to the masses. My love and interest in African culture has influenced me towards minoring in African studies and pursuing the Media in Ghana program. I will be interning with Net 2 TV where I look forward to learning about the contemporary issues of Ghana while personally exploring how those messages might be transcribed into dance and other art forms.
Jeff Dean
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Major: Journalism
Internship: Tiger Eye
I’ve been drawn to photojournalism ever since National Geographic did an article on my military unit in Baghdad in 2006. Since that day I’ve pursued a career in journalism. I recently graduated from the UO and will start the Masters program upon returning from Ghana. I’m looking forward to experiencing a new country and culture while also having the opportunity to work with an investigative group like Tiger Eye. I hope to gain valuable experience as to what it’s like working abroad as a journalist, and I know that this opportunity will be powerful and will benefit all of us who are part of the program.
Name: Taylor Fritz
Hometown: Corbett, Oregon
Major: Journalism
Internship: Metro TV
I hope to have a career in broadcast journalism and my passion for storytelling drives this desire. I have been involved with the University of Oregon’s Duck TV program since my freshman year and I am currently the Executive Producer for News and Sports. I’m looking forward to immersing myself in a foreign country as well as its professional environment. While in Ghana, I hope to not only grow as a journalist, but as an individual too.
Whitney Marks
Hometown: Sherwood, Oregon
Major: Advertising
Internship: Emerge Advertising
I am currently a junior studying advertising at the University of Oregon. I hope to gain experience specifically in media planning and help put together content that can make an impact. I love breaking boundaries and pushing my personal limits. I find that my passion for creating excites me to find what I love most about myself and the world around me. I’m driven, curious, and inspired by anything and everything. Above all, I strive to be my most authentic self in all ways. I can’t wait to embrace all that Ghana has to offer this summer!
Clare Malone
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Major: Advertising/Journalism
Internship: Orakle Advertising and Class 93.1 FM
I am going into my last year at the University of Oregon. I am majoring in advertising with a focus on strategy and minoring in business administration. I decided to apply to go to Ghana because I am interested in seeing how advertising is approached in other countries. I am excited to experience Ghanian culture and apply this to my work and how I approach the world. After university, I hope to use this experience to create work that is open-minded and culturally aware.
Emily Port
Hometown: San Diego, California
Major: Public Relations
Internship: Joy Sports
I am going into my senior year at the University of Oregon majoring in Public Relations with a minor in Business Administration. I am interested in how the communications field differs across cultures. Learning about these cultures unlike my own is what drove me to the Media in Ghana program. It is a once in a lifetime experience that I know will help shape both my personal and professional growth.
Emily Scarvie
Hometown: Sherwood, Oregon
Major: Journalism
Internship: Today Newspaper
I am a junior at the University of Oregon, studying journalism with an emphasis in feature writing. I have a passion for international travel, storytelling, and social causes, and am thrilled to gain firsthand experience living abroad. I hope to gain professional experience in Ghana, as well as a better understanding of the diverse culture that is often misrepresented. I love to travel and look forward to this new experience.
Kendra Rettig
Hometown: San Diego, California
Major: Public Relations
Internship: Strat Comm
I will be starting my senior year in the fall of 2018 at the University of Oregon. I am majoring in public relations and minoring in women, gender, and sexuality studies. Once I graduate in the spring, I hope to find a job managing campaigns for a nonprofit organization. I am eager to begin this adventure in Ghana with my fellow SOJC classmates. Interning at Strat Comm will help me grow creatively and professionally, and I hope to use these skills in my future career. I am excited to gain first hand experience with strategic communication and to immerse myself in the Ghanaian culture.
Kezia Setyawan
Major: Journalism and Media Studies
Minor: Business Administration and Creative Writing
Internship: The Finder
Blog: http://ghana.uoregon.edu/autho
This fall, I will be entering my third year at the University of Oregon. I’m invest a lot of time in making the best pork bun, looking at the sky on walks, and being a bandwagon hockey fan for the Pittsburgh Penguins. To me, photography is a powerful tool to build compassion and relationships in communities. My biggest passion is to center people in the margins through storytelling. In Ghana, I hope explore my identity in the diaspora, address any subconscious biases, and navigate my time here in a place of privilege. I’m excited to work on the newspaper beat, make friends, and face my fear of the tro tro.
Aviva Speck
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Major: Advertising
Minor: Business Administration
Internship: Emerge Ghana Ltd.
My name is Aviva and I will be a senior at U of O in the fall. Following graduation, I hope to pursue a career in strategic advertising or as a copywriter. I love meeting new people and learning about other cultures. I’m looking forward to the connections and challenges I will face in Ghana.
Will Tierney
Hometown: Santa Cruz, California
Major: Journalism
Internship: Daily Guide
I’m a journalism major who will be a senior starting in fall 2018. I’m focusing on photojournalism and I want to continue to explore other forms of visual communication. I’m looking forward to gaining professional experience while in Ghana and learning more about a new culture. This trip will be my first studying abroad experience and I’m excited for the opportunity.
Maggie Elias
Hometown: Oakland, CA
Major: Advertising
Internship: Innova DDB Ghana
I am a visual communicator and learner. I am in constant search of new creative projects. With a degree in advertising—which I will receive in Spring 2019—I hope to use my design, planning, and communication skills to make fun and impactful work in a multidisciplinary, creative agency setting. I am excited for the opportunity to learn about the advertising industry in Ghana through my internship at Innova DDB Ghana. My initial attraction to the Media in Ghana program came from the vibrant work and images produced by previous participants, which demonstrated their experience with the equally vibrant culture and people of Ghana.
Kelly Franks
Hometown: Warren, NJ
Major: Advertising
Internship: Center for Democratic Development
I am an Advertising major with a focus in art direction entering my junior year in the SOJC. I hail from New Jersey, but I’ve moved three times in the past four years, as I am always eager for opportunities to broaden my perspective and push my comfort zone of familiarity. As a transfer student, I am also excited to further immerse myself in the SOJC community. I have always had a passion for politics and civic engagement, so I am thrilled to merge my interest in government with strategic communication at the Center for Democratic Development. I am grateful for the opportunity to travel and learn in Ghana and am eager to see what the trip holds.
Jacob Brown
Hometown: Medford, Oregon
Major: Advertising
Internship: Radio Univers
I joined the Media in Ghana program for the summer of 2018 to expand my skills, learn more about another culture, and overall heighten my abilities to advertise in our world today. I look forward to learning everything I can while I’m Ghana and carrying what I’ve learned on to my future careers and beyond. I believe this experience will give me a fresh lens on the world and open up new mindsets that I can in turn share with others when I return to the US and I can’t wait to do so!
