By Amber Skorpenske
IIJ Ambassador
The Students for Global Media and Diversity (SGMD) is a journalism students’ organization, whose aim is to educate its members about important topics and to advance the goals of each member to pursue their international aspirations.
Meetings take place in a relaxed atmosphere. The president of SGMD is Nadia Sheng, a senior broadcast journalism student. SGMD aims to bring national and international journalists, supported by the Institute for International Journalism. OU students who are willing to share their international work or internship experiences can also show current members what opportunities await them.
GLC students, journalism graduate students and winners of the Willhelm Foreign Correspondence Internships can join and share their international experience.
Sheng says that some current members have expressed an interest in being more active and helping out with the meetings. Members have also asked to attend more events on campus together and to also engage in social activities to increase networking between the members.
Sheng believes that international news and issues are extremely important in the U.S. and of particular importance to journalism students. Sheng says, “There is an underlying desire, at least I hope, that people have to find the common ground we share between one another.”
Journalism students must know about current international events as it has begun to shape the industry they will be soon be going in to. Understanding international issues and cultures of other countries will make for a well-rounded journalist. This will also serve as a comparison or as an influential part of a historical framework for any local issues too.
For students who want to become foreign correspondents or to simply travel abroad, they should know about issues, customs and political climates of countries that they are destined to travel to.
Sheng says, “Members gain a new understanding of information from the first hand accounts of the presentation of experts in their field.” These experts may also be called upon to help members in whatever they are looking for in and beyond university life.
The executive board of SGMD is also working on planning a trip to either Washington, D.C. to give their members an even greater experience by visiting international journalists, newsrooms and national news outlets.
SGMD meets every Thursday at 6 p.m. in Sing Tao 101. Please consider attending a meeting to gain international knowledge and experience! For IIJ updates follow ScrippsIIJ on Twitter.
