On May 7, 2025, the SC&I Journalism and Media Studies Department hosted the annual JMS Showcase to recognize outstanding student work completed during the 2024-2025 academic year and share it with SC&I faculty, students, and parents.
This year’s showcase, held at the College Avenue Student Center, featured 20 outstanding student projects, a mix of written articles, videos, and podcasts, selected by faculty from across several classes in the Journalism and Media Studies major and the Master of Communication and Media degree program, for presentation at this special event that has become a JMS tradition.
“It is a thrill to celebrate the fantastic work that our students have produced during this school year,” said Chair of the Journalism and Media Studies Department and Professor Lauren Feldman. “These are exciting projects that tackle complex topics, tell stories that matter, and engage with communities—from here in New Brunswick to Istanbul, Turkey, where students traveled on our spring study abroad program. The best part of the showcase is that students introduce their projects in their own words, and their vision and passion are inspiring. The world needs creative, committed, and responsible journalists and media makers more urgently than ever, and these students are leading the way.”
Emcee Yazan Mohammad JMS'25 said, “I was really excited to host the event and see everyone's work in the showcase. Students love the showcase because it allows us to feel seen for our work in class, and it also allows us to better highlight our capabilities on our resumes."
This year, the showcase was hosted by Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in Journalism and Media Studies Neal Bennett. “This event continues to be a wonderful opportunity to highlight a wide range of student work,” he said. “We showcase all types of work from written pieces to photography and video. It really reflects the scope of projects students take on during their time at JMS.”
Bennett said new this year was the addition of a student emcee. “The showcase followed a similar format to past events,” he said, “but this year I wanted to give students a more active role in presenting. Prior to each showcase piece, they typically introduce their work. This year, I thought it could be nice to have a student also host the event. That’s why I invited Yazan Mohammad JMS'25 to co-host. He’s graduating and hopes to pursue on-camera work and has been an all-around standout student. I saw this as a great chance for him to gain one last learning experience at Rutgers to be in front of an audience before launching into his career in media.”
Mohammad said, “I was really excited to host the event and see everyone's work in the showcase. Students love the showcase because it allows us to feel seen for our work in class, and it also allows us to better highlight our capabilities on our resumes. I felt very fortunate to have two pieces featured this year. Acting as emcee was a lot of fun too, even despite a few small technical difficulties with the PowerPoint. My role was to open and close the event, as well as to introduce each featured work and the students.”
This year, the showcase was hosted by Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in Journalism and Media Studies Neal Bennett. “This event continues to be a wonderful opportunity to highlight a wide range of student work,” he said.
Associate Professor of Journalism and Media Studies Khadijah Costley White, who created, designed, and launched the first JMS Showcase in 2015, and hosted it for several years, said, “I initially planned the showcase and awards to provide a way to recognize the top work created by JMS students, both in my own Video Storytelling class and throughout the major. I also thought it would be nice for parents with graduating students to get the chance to come and see what they’ve been doing and the skills they've gained. We did it in a darkened room that gave a real screening experience. Some work we've shown has even been in the Cannes Film Festival! This year, Professor Neal Bennett added some extra fun – for example, it was great to see a student emcee the showcase for the first time! I also like that we've paired it with the KTA dinner, which makes for a very special evening.”
Professor of Professional Practice and Director of Undergraduate Studies in Journalism and Media Studies Steve Miller said, “The JMS Showcase is a celebration of our major’s myriad of media projects. From news packages to short form documentaries to trailers, this annual event gave everyone the opportunity to witness the vast array of talent we have in our classrooms. The students’ submissions demonstrated the high quality of instruction they received from their instructors and the even higher level of talent in our department. These content creators have bright futures ahead of them.”
Faculty members who shared their students’ work (and their class titles) include: Bennett (Media Field Production and MCM Digital Media Production); Associate Professor of Professional Practice Mary D’Ambrosio (Writing the Mediterranean); Assistant Professor Youngrim Kim (Digital Media and Society); Assistant Teaching Professor David Love (Media, Movements, and Community Engagement); Miller (Television Reporting); and Assistant Teaching Professor Alyse Shorland (Creating Content and Digital Meda Production).
Associate Professor of Journalism and Media Studies Khadijah Costley White, who created, designed, and launched the first JMS Showcase in 2015, and hosted it for several years, said, ". . . this year, Professor Neal Bennett added some extra fun – for example, it was great to see a student emcee the showcase for the first time! I also like that we've paired it with the KTA dinner, which makes for a very special evening.”
“Now is an exciting time to be a Journalism and Media Studies (JMS) major!” Feldman and Bennett wrote on this year’s showcase program. “The field of journalism is rapidly evolving, embracing new digital and mobile platforms – each bringing unique challenges in reporting, editing, and storytelling. Success in journalism and related media industries often comes down to one key question: Can you gather, curate, and communicate information truthfully and effectively? As a JMS graduate, you’ll be equipped to confidently answer, ‘YES!’”
Student Projects 2024-2025
Media Field Production and Digital Media Production
Orlando: Breaking Boundaries on Stage
Jordi Cruz and David Yu
Finding Our Place: First-year Perspectives
Zaf Ali
Crafting Content, Building Literacy
Het-heru Flowers, Mariana Torres, and Xuerui Yang
Running the Show: Students Behind COMMChella
Cassidy Havelin, Siani Johnson, Tori Jonach, Zexuan Li, Jules Persad, Neda Sayyed, and Yuxin Xia
Finding Our Voice: Behind The Voorhees Choir
Cassidy Havelin, Tori Jonach, Evan Leong, and Jules Perssad
Writing the Mediterranean
Culinary Rivalries and Neighborhood Eats
Isabella Burke and Katherine Costa
The Photographers: Uncertainty Of a Revolution Rising
Danielle Cairo
Christianity In a Muslim Land
Tatiana Costa
Caught Between Borders: The Plight Of Istanbul's Syrian Refugees
Ansha Khokhar
Crackdown: What Would It Take for This to Happen Back Home?
Sean Merkel
Television Reporting
Accessible Art Exhibit at Zimmerli
Chloe Berwick, Julianna Lavner, Melly Merida, and Noah Ohayon
2030 Plan/ Redesign of College Avenue
Jessica Buckley, Philip Jaccoma, Matt Mangam, and Woody Silverstein
RUSA Higher Fees
Amalie McIntosh, Alina Lim, Yazan Mohammed, Greg Shultz, and Zarina Yecies
Digital Media and Society
TikTok's Effect on Youth Political Participation and News Consumption
Julianne Russell
Mukbang Madness
Vishakha Mukherjee
Media, Movements and Community Engagement
From Campus to The Courts: The 'Palestine Exception' Rules University Crackdowns
Yazan Mohammad
Creating Content and Digital Media Production
The Saxophone
Aiden Behrje and Spencer Finkler
The Center for Latino Arts and Culture
Chloe Berwick and Daniel Ramirez
Verbal Mayhem
Erin Burke and Malachi Gwyn
Rutgers Karaoke
Kevin Kokoszka and Chenxi Sun
Learn more about the Journalism and Media Studies major and the Master of Communication and Media degree program on the Rutgers School of Communication and Information website.
