Richa anand | cal state fullerton | pr & business administration | my blog
The most surprising thing I have learned about storytelling during my course in Valencia is that capturing real emotion—whether through writing, photography or videography—creates the most memorable stories of all.
Alex gaede | cal state fullerton | COMMUNICATIONS | MY BLOG
People are different all over the world. You don’t know someone’s story until you hear them.
Rex gaede | northern arizona university | undecided | my blog
Tatillana Therese garcia | cal state fullerton | broadcast journalism | MY BLOG
The most surprising thing I learned about storytelling in this course is that you can’t depend on anyone but yourself. Things may fail, but you just have to pick yourself up and start again. This story is yours, and you are the only one telling it.
Lauren Ikuye Grose/CAL STATE FULLERTON | broadcast journalism | my blog
I have learned that storytelling is intimate and magical—but gut-wrenching. It is necessary to have a good head on your shoulders and to stay grounded while going through the journey because you will, in a strange metaphysical way, become every person you encounter. You will experience what they experience, see what they see, and feel what they feel. … These people are opening up and telling their stories through you, and you are telling your story through them.
On a less ambiguous note, I have learned to always, always have a plan B, C, D and F. Things will fall through and people are not always as reliable as we would like to think they are. That being said, relax and have fun with the process. The story will be told if you are determined to tell it.
Sarah hemadi | CAL STATE FULLERTON | joURNALISM | MY BLOG
The most surprising thing about story telling I learned is that I never know where the story is going to take me. … When I started interviewing the employees at A Taste Of America, the most interesting things I learned were that the store was started by a woman who moved here from Kentucky 20 years ago and that the product they sell the most of is Dr. Pepper because they are the only shop in Valencia that does. I had no idea a specific soda would be the angle on that story. I think just learning to listen and observe more carefully what is going around me and being willing to ask lots of questions are the most important things I learned.
Minerva Jimenez-Garcia | CAL STATE FULLERTON | psychology | my blog
I found that the most powerful way to communicate doesn’t necessarily have to be through words. Storytelling can be accomplished through pictures, sound, gestures, music and even dance. These forms of communication can cross any language barrier and reach a deeper level of understanding of one’s culture and life story.
caitlin johnson | SAN DIEGO STATE | JOURNALISM | my blog | my website
The one thing I learned about storytelling is it never really ends. Chapters might transition from one to the next, characters appear and fade away. Where one story ends another begins; thus, the stories we create are woven into the fabric of the history of the world. No matter how small the thread, each story is important to the tapestry as a whole and deserves to be told.
Emily lepain | University of minnesota, twin cities | journalism & Mass communications | my blog
Over the last month in this course and in Spain, I think the most surprising thing I’ve learned about storytelling is that it’s easier to delve into someone else’s life and tell their story than it is to peel back the layers on my own life and articulate mine.
Lauren Mazzo | Ithaca college | journalism | my blog
Journalism is so much more than disseminating news; it’s linking people from opposite sides of the world through a core human interest.
Gurajpalpreet sangha | Cal state fullerton | broadcast journalism | my blog
During this course, I learned that for most people to enjoy, learn and feel the emotions of a story, it has to be as in-depth as possible and leave a lasting mark.
Sydney R. O’Shaughnessy | ithaca college | journalism/env. science | my blog
I found that storytelling is not just writing the facts. It’s weaving life into the written word to accurately represent everyday people. This course surprised me by opening my eyes to the fact that ordinary people are the cage that carries the bird of the most significant and effective stories. And it’s my job to understand their lives, opening the cage and releasing the bird for others to see.
Samuel Palca | grinnell college | biology | my blo
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I’ve learned that storytelling doesn’t need a grand objective or a famous character. What a story needs is a person willing to push themselves outside of what they’ve known to accomplish a goal.
Luke Rafferty | Syracuse University | PHOTOJOURNALISM | MY BLOG
Everyone has a story. No matter how simple it might seem at first, if you take the time to sit down, listen and get to know someone, you’ll be amazed at what you can learn, and in my case as a photographer, show about that person.
Ashley ruiz | cal state fullerton | journalism | my blog
Photography is more than just pointing a camera and shooting, it’s about capturing the scene in such a way that it makes the viewers feel like they are part of it.
Photos by Jack and cole strong | thoughtfully placed graffiti is part of the fabric of valencia, and many locals embrace it as art.
This is Valencia 