by Katie Dettman

Graduate Student

Acio, who is also enrolled in the Honors College, found out about the scholarship from Dr. Ryan, with whom she was taking Designing for Media during the winter 2009 term.

“The Thomas R. Dargan Scholarship is intended to encourage and assist minority students to complete their education in broadcasting or communications,” according to KATU.com.

Acio was born in the Philippines, moved to Hawaii when she was 7 and lived there until 2007, when she moved to Eugene to attend the University of Oregon.

“I was one of the four students who began our first digital media production team in high school, so I have always been interested in filmmaking,” says Acio. “However, taking Dr. Ryan’s Designing for Media course has opened my eyes to so much more.”

In Designing for Media, Acio created two documentaries, Mike Langley: A Refuge of Faith, Hope and Love and Making a Difference: Paul Harvey and the Gummi Bears. The films can be viewed on her YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/lorieacio). She has recently won an award for each film in the Christopher's Video Contest for College Students. Ryan shares: “in a first for the annual contest, two films from the same student filmmaker were awarded prizes. Making a Difference: Paul Harvey and the Gummi Bears was awarded the $1,000 third prize, and Mike Langley: A Refuge of Faith, Hope and Love was named for an honorable mention (a $100 prize).”

“Winning the KATU scholarship is a tremendous honor and accomplishment,” says Acio. “The award comes with many responsibilities: maintaining a high G.P.A and gaining as much experience as I can in college to fulfill my professional goals as a minority in the field of broadcasting. The scholarship pushes me to become a better student. I am so blessed, because it will give me the opportunity to understand what goes on behind the scenes. I also hope to gain connections that will help me in the future.”

Acio is currently in the Philippines, working on a documentary on orphans in a homeless shelter there. Her inspiration for the project comes from her work on the Mike Langley film. Langley is the director of Hosea Youth Services, which serves homeless teens in the Eugene area.

She frequently returns to the country to visit family, and shares: “I remember seeing hundreds of homeless children from ages three to twelve during my last trip to the Philippines in 2006. Many of them stare into restaurants, hoping to gain a little sympathy and food for the day. I was really shocked, but what made it more appalling was the treatment they received from bystanders. People walk pass these children as if they are invisible. This shows how homeless children are common in their society. I would like to film the orphans’ experiences and present them to the students at the University of Oregon. My ultimate goal is to form an alliance with an organization here that will help a youth shelter in the Philippines.”

After graduation, Acio plans to work at a broadcast news station as a reporter. Her eventual plans are to work for a national broadcast new station.

“Ultimately, I would like to be distinguished in international and global humanitarian reporting,” says Acio. “I would like to assist in sharing 'untold stories' and bringing voice to those who are overlooked.”