Jahlysa Azaret
Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Major: Multimedia Journalism
Fueled by God’s love and a passion to learn, I constantly try new things to help myself grow. I love learning the stories of people around me. I throughly appreciate the journey of growth and I believe there is always something new to learn. With the chance to go to Ghana, I knew that it was a beautiful opportunity to immerse myself in a new culture. I look forward to working alongside other Journalists from Ghana to learn of great local stories.
Name: Robert Otieno Apiyo- Prince Nesta
Hometown: Kisumu, Kenya
Major: Media Studies
Internship: JOY FM
‘Take me home to West Africa, Ghana roads!’ I’m originally from Kenya (East Africa) and I traveled to Ghana to reconnect back with my African roots and culture after a four year hiatus to pursue graduate studies in the US. I’m currently pursuing a Doctoral degree in Media Studies at the University of Oregon. Having visited no other African countries before, apart from my native Kenya, I figured such an opportune moment would not only widen my scope on West African politics, culture, lifestyles and history, but also increase my knowledge on the functionalities of Ghana’s media industry. I am very down-to-earth person, my happy place is chatting with locals and I have a soft spot for Reggae, Ska, Calypso and African music. Basketball, badminton, soccer, tennis or dancing the night away at the beach also sounds like a plan.
Name: Jimmy Fortuna-Peak
Hometown: Ann Arbor, MI
Major: Advertising
Minor: Political Science
Internship: Innova DDB (Advertising)
Originally from humble Mid-West origins, I traveled to Oregon to appease my sense of adventure; my sense of adventure has now brought me to Ghana. I aim to constantly seek discomfort and broaden my horizons beyond what I can find in the United States. My love of writing has allowed me to work on many different projects, from a climate justice campaign to my own creative fiction. I look forward to building relationships with my co-workers as well as bringing my skill set to a new culture. When I’m not working, you can find me training for triathlons or going out hiking.
Name: Natalie Myking
Hello, my name is Natalie Myking. I am from San Diego, CA and I am a senior at UO studying photojournalism and minoring in Native American Studies. I will be interning at Joy TV here in Accra. I feel so grateful to be able to be here right now and I know that I will gain so many valuable skills and lessons throughout my time here. In my free time I like to go on walks or hikes with my dog. My happy place is by the ocean and my favorite food is sushi!!
Name: Rubby Marquez Tellez
Hey y’all! My name is Rubby Marquez Tellez and I am from Hillsboro, OR. I will be going into my fourth year in the fall of 2021. I am majoring in Advertising and Spanish with a minor in Sports Business. I am eager to intern at Innova DDB and learn more about art and design. So far my time in Ghana has been great but the the papaya here—has truly stolen my heart.
Name: Jeremy Williams
My name is Jeremy Williams and I’ve been building into this career for a long time. I never “knew” I wanted to be a Photojournalist, but I’ve fallen for the career and truly love what I do. I look forward to the adventures and each story I get to tell. I’ve worked on OR magazine, Ethos magazine, the UO science story website, and local news in the Eugene Area as well as being a Snowden Intern for the Register Guard. I’ve loved every second of telling every story. Each of them is important and for everyone photo that makes it out to print, I have a hundred that didn’t. The work I’ve been doing is all to try and help keep the record straight. Tell the story, get the picture.