Students produce multimedia journalism piece during bootcamp at CSIS in Washington, D.C.

April 16, 2025 - Features

by Kenna McNally | Student Advisory Board Coordinator and Marketing & Communications Intern

University of Kansas CSIS journalism bootcamp participants gather for a group picture. Photo courtesy of CSIS.

Over spring break, ten Student Advisory Board members and School of Journalism and Mass Communications students traveled to Washington, D.C. for a week-long journalism bootcamp hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Students participated in skill development workshops and conducted research and interviews with industry experts to create a multimedia journalism package.

Students applied for this fully funded opportunity and were selected by a panel of judges based on their applications. Most of the students represented the Multimedia Journalism concentration at the School of Journalism, with two students in the Digital Marketing Communications program. Many of the students also had an academic background in political science, international studies, or history.

The students spent the weeks leading to departure completing research and pre-readings to help determine the focus of their project. On the second day of the bootcamp, the students honed in on their topic, deciding to focus on Thailand and how corruption and human trafficking act as a reinforcing cycle in the country.

Students were split into four teams – story writing & web design, data visualization, podcast creation, and video production – based on their reporting background, with emphasis put on teaching students new skills. They received mentorship from CSIS staff on each of these teams.

Members of the video production team work alongside their mentor in editing their final product. Photo courtesy of CSIS.

After the first two days of full group collaboration in determining the focus of the project, students shifted to more focused team work and deciding what angle to pursue in their reporting. But throughout the week, the full group met for workshops, interviews, and feedback sessions.

In addition to the three interviews set up by the CSIS staff, members of the story and podcast teams were able to get in contact with and interview two individuals working on the ground combatting human trafficking in the region. The team was also able to secure an interview with an associate fellow of CSIS’s Southeast Asia Program.

Bootcamp participants attend an informational session with a industry expert ahead of their interview. Photo courtesy of CSIS.

At the end of the week, the students presented their completed product which included a 2,000-word story, several data visualizations, a six-minute podcast, and a four-minute video. You can access the students’ work here.

While in Washington, D.C., students had the opportunity to explore the city, visit museums and national monuments, and try many great restaurants.

Abbie Clements, Kenna McNally, Arien Roman Rojas, and Cuyler Dunn pose for a photograph in front of the NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C. Photo by Kenna McNally.

This opportunity was made possible in collaboration with the University of Kansas School of Journalism and Mass Communications and the Center for Strategic and International Studies as well as the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

Kenna McNally serves as the Student Advisory Board Coordinator and the Marketing & Communications Intern at the Dole Institute. Through these two roles, she heads the Dole Institute’s student group, maintains the SAB’s media channels, and acts as the primary connection between students and the Dole Institute. She is a third-year student studying digital marketing communications, United States public policy, and business. Kenna also serves as the Chair of the Student Senate Community Affairs Council and is a part of HerCampus, Women Educated KU, and the University Honors Program.

About the Dole Institute
Inspired by the leadership legacies of Senators Bob and Elizabeth Dole, and the enduring civic contributions of the Greatest Generation, the Dole Institute of Politics strives to promote a new era of leadership that uses politics to bring people together through opportunities that emphasize bipartisan cooperation, public service, and civic education and engagement.