With cameras, notepads and pens in hand, college and high school students from across the region recently took to the Stanislaus State campus to practice their reporting skills at the second Journalism and Media Education Network (JAMEN) Summit.
Hosted by the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative (CVJC) in partnership with Stan State, “JAMEN 2.0” on Sept. 25 connected students with professional journalists from The Modesto Focus and Sacramento’s Capital Public Radio (CapRadio) for a day of networking, instruction and field reporting.
The event built on the inaugural JAMEN Summit, held at CapRadio’s Sacramento headquarters in May 2026.
Shannon Stevens, co-director of Stan State’s creative media program, described the day as a “dream.”
“To be able to welcome all of these amazing professional journalists to our campus to offer their expertise to Stan State students and those from other colleges and high schools from across the region is simply incredible,” Stevens said.
CVJC is a Fresno-based nonprofit news organization founded in 2021 by the James B. McClatchy Foundation. Its goal is to support, strengthen and expand local public-service journalism in the region. The organization describes the San Joaquin Valley as a growing “news desert,” where local news outlets have closed or reduced staffing, leaving important stories uncovered, especially in smaller communities.
“There are so many stories right here in the Central Valley,” said Stan State President Britt Rios-Ellis. “I'm so grateful you all are here to learn new skills from industry professionals on how to tell those stories.”
The summit’s academic training reflected the real-world demands of regional news in the modern media landscape.
- Shannon Stevens, Signal Advisor and Co-Director of Creative Media
Many college students in attendance were members of Stan State’s student newspaper, the Signal, and are studying creative media. The program combines a variety of disciplines such as journalism and creative writing, graphic design, photography and videography to help students develop critical-thinking skills and create compelling narratives.
Participants worked in groups that included at least one college student, one high school student and one professional journalist. Together, they developed news stories about health, the environment and climate. Students learned interviewing and news-gathering techniques while using their artistic and photography skills to report their findings.
Rachel Livinal, a higher education reporter for CVJC and radio station KVPR, mentored six students who chose to explore the number of commuters at Stan State and the impact it could have on the environment. One of the team's interviews took place on the roof of Naraghi Hall of Science with Wing Howard To, an associate professor in the Department of Physics, Physical Sciences and Geology, who discussed tools he uses to measure air quality.
The group presented a video story accompanied by infographics to share their findings. Communication studies major and KCSS radio host Jenna Shama performing preliminary research, Signal reporter and English major Amal Khanshali conducted interviews. Creative media student and Signal reporter Anthony Reyes filmed while studio arts majors Fernanda Rojas and Luis Cerpas worked with Beyer High photography student Lia Campiotti to create the accompanying visuals.
“To be able to create something like this in such little time was a unique but great experience,” Campiotti said. “It was a true team effort.”
Signal editor and English major Sarah Jones and creative media majors Alia Reyes Ruvalcaba and Melanie Ortega worked closely with Johansen classmates Mariana Narez and Kimora Vargas and Beyer High student Louis Cabeceiras to create a similar video report on allergies.
The team made their way to the Wayne & Donna Pierce Trans-California Pathway and interviewed Associate Professor of Botany Andrew Gardner, to learn more about the native plants and the landscape of Stan State’s campus. They also interviewed faculty members and students about their experiences with allergies on campus and throughout the Central Valley.
“It is so impressive to see everyone working together to come up with unique stories that are relevant to their communities and applying their skills to create these videos and graphics,” said Joaquin Alvarado, a McClatchy Foundation board member. “This is what modern storytelling looks like.”
