The SOJC’s new podcast features a quirky professor, a media studies Ph.D. student, a double Duck fashionista and a newspaper editor.
By Julia Boboc, class of ’26
The second season of “One Cool Story: Tales from the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication” shares stories about the many paths that lead to Allen Hall. Both seasons of the student-created podcast, which debuted fall term, are available for download now.
Each person who has walked through Allen Hall at the UO School of Journalism and Communication (SOJC) has found themselves there at different times and for different reasons. Some traveled miles from home; others grew up in the area. Some knew they were going into communication early in life, while many others were undecided or never expected to find a home in the field. Some wanted to go the traditional route in their majors, while others wanted to invent something new.
For more than a century, the SOJC has welcomed thousands of students, alumni, faculty and staff, all with their own stories to tell.
This season includes four episodes featuring SOJC students interviewing a grad student, a double-Duck alum and two faculty members about college, their careers, our SOJC community and cool stories they want to share. Tune in to hear interviews with:
Andy Wilson
Andy Wilson, a Communication and Media Studies Ph.D. candidate, thought he was going to be a cultural anthropologist before finding the SOJC.
He talks about why he chose to focus his research on media and game studies, what it’s like working with the faculty he’s learning from, and why his experience as a doctoral student in Allen Hall has been something truly special.
Peter Laufer
Peter Laufer, James N. Wallace Chair of Journalism and SOJC professor, found journalism in fifth grade and never looked back.
He talks about how he and his friends created their own newspaper 60 years ago, the many books he has written and his incredible experiences traveling with SOJC students around the world.
Carmelli Hess
Carmelli Hess wanted to be a dancer and piano player before the pandemic threw a wrench into her plans. Now she’s a double Duck who received her advertising undergraduate and Advertising and Brand Responsibility Master’s degrees from the SOJC.
She talks with us about being a graduate student, her capstone project on Latinx and Filipino representation in luxury fashion and how the SOJC has helped her find a passion for strategy.
Camilla Mortensen
Camilla Mortensen, a part-time journalism instructor at the SOJC and editor at the Eugene Weekly, got her Ph.D. in comparative literature from the UO before moving in a different direction — teaching journalism and editing.
She gives us all the details on her career in journalism, shares the joys of teaching SOJC students and talks about the event in December of 2023 that nearly killed the Eugene Weekly.
Find Seasons 1 and 2 of “One Cool Story” wherever you get your podcasts and check back for new seasons each fall, winter and spring term. Find other University of Oregon podcasts on the OregonNews podcast page.
Julia Boboc is a third-year journalism major in the UO School of Journalism and Communication direct-admit program and a member of Clark Honors College. She especially enjoys interviewing and writing about people and feels everyone has a story to tell. She loves trying new things in journalism and taking on cool projects.