Traveling abroad with the School of Journalism and Media to Prague, Czech Republic, was senior Lauren Holladay’s first time travelling to Europe.
And while she enjoyed taking in the sights and sounds of the busy city, Holladay said being able to work as a student foreign correspondent was what made her experience truly rewarding.
“I not only loved the beautiful city, but being able to study journalism in a foreign setting was a wonderful opportunity,” Holladay said. “The workload was heavy, but manageable, and I feel like I gained a lot of skills and experience that will apply in my future studies and career.”
Providing students real-world journalism experience in a foreign country is one of the goals of the school’s Going on Assignment in Prague study abroad program. The school works with Transitions, a nonprofit organization in Europe that offers journalism and media training programs to the students as part of the program.
“The purpose of the program is to challenge students to create news reports on the unfamiliar but delightful turf of Prague in the Czech Republic,” Professor Mark Harmon said. “They are guided toward this goal by classroom instruction, guest visits to news organizations, and helpful tutorial sessions.”
He said this year’s group was enthusiastic, responded well to suggestions, and did some very good reporting. Harmon hopes students take away an improved sense of news judgment, a more global view of the world, and an openness to other cultures from the experience.
Holladay completed two stories while on assignment in Prague. One story focused on Prague’s housing crisis while the other was a video focused around the tradition of European castles keeping bears in their moats. Harmon said top stories from students are published in various outlets such as the Transitions’ news site; and the Knoxville News Sentinel.
Holladay said she has been fortunate to work with many professionals and academics in the journalism and media field since she started studying at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. This includes experiences such as interning with Citywire USA and working on campus at The Daily Beacon. Her experiences such as those and the Prague trip have really given her the confidence and skills to work towards a career in media.
“I 100 percent recommend studying abroad to other students. I think it’s an amazing opportunity to grow your skills in a realistic setting—for any major—but also to learn about and experience a place you’ve never been,” Holladay said.