Study Media and Study the World at NYU: Part One

Foster a Global Outlook to Change the Narrative

Fiona Fulton-Moskowitz originally planned to go to film school. However, when she had the opportunity to attend NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and spend her first semester at NYU Paris, she knew she’d found the right path. Spending her first semester abroad brought Fiona’s interests into focus. She decided to concentrate in global communication and media within the Media, Culture, and Communication (MCC) major. Then, she set out to study media and its effects on societies throughout the world.

Fiona became a Global Media Scholar during her sophomore year. Through this program, she chose to return to Paris, where she explored how the French media have shaped the country’s modern politics and culture. Then, in her junior year, she studied at NYU Buenos Aires. There, she explains, she further examined how nations “may construct their own cultural and media historicity through censorship, and the role independent journalism and music play in remembering the forgotten.”

For her senior capstone, Fiona tied all her global learning together, studying the power of media and culture in Ghana. She complemented her research with a 10-day trip to NYU Accra over January Term, where she learned about the nuances of media imperialism. “My major at NYU helped me explore—literally—the world,” she concludes. “It’s made me more confident and given me an understanding of the histories and cultures of so many different places.”

Tell Stories and Advocate

Abigail Harrison always wanted to make an impact on the world. At NYU, she’s discovered how to use her talents as a writer to tell meaningful stories. Her journey began in Journalistic Inquiry: The Written Word, a class taught by Professor Keith Kloor. Abigail, who focused her self-designed concentration at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study on journalism and marketing, found that the challenging course inspired her final project.

“I chose to write about one of the oldest street cart vendors in New York City, Mama Jo,” she says. “I loved interviewing her and hearing all the stories she had to tell.” For decades Mama Jo served breakfast outside Grand Central Station. Shortly after Abigail finished her article, Mama Jo passed away.

“It was a shock to the community and to me in particular. I could not have imagined that just two months from our interview together, she would be gone,” Abigail says. “I realized then the power we have when we tell other people’s stories. If I had never taken that class, I would never have gotten the opportunity to know her. The more I explore journalism, the more reasons it gives me to pursue it as a career.”

Make Art That Expands Possibilities

Since high school, Camila Echeverria has dreamed of working in film and helping expand the industry in Latin America. Now, as a Film and New Media major at NYU Abu Dhabi, she is well on her way.

“Studying art, culture, and film in the Gulf Region is fascinating because it’s the connecting point for the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia,” she says. What made it even more meaningful was her first film class, Sound, Image, and Story. There, she learned how to use a camera and editing software and created a character study of her friend who was location-scouting at the nearby Al Madam ‘Ghost Village.’

“It’s a place with a lot of contrasts, made up of these abandoned, super colorful buildings,” Camila explains. The setting offered a unique space for her to reflect on the experiences of her friend, a student from Venezuela who tirelessly pursued programs and scholarships around the world. “I saw how resilient my friend was—I’m from Ecuador and both of us were so far from home— and I connected her story with this location, which was so beautiful but also abandoned,” she says. “I already knew that I loved film, but this experience was a full-circle moment that showed me why I’m here.”

Enrich Lives Through Entertainment

“I absolutely love basketball,” says Sam Chen, an Interactive Media and Business major at NYU Shanghai. “I grew up in a multigenerational household and watched a lot of basketball with my grandma.”

So, it’s no wonder that her interest in business and media led her to sports marketing. “My dream is to work for the Los Angeles Lakers,” she adds. As a recent media assistant for NYU Shanghai’s sports teams as well as the Athletics and Fitness Center, Sam gained valuable courtside experience creating content, like highlight videos that showcases the teams’ athleticism and camaraderie.

“It’s been fun because I get to go to games and travel with them to different parts of China while helping bring more sports culture to NYU Shanghai,” Sam says. One of her favorite annual events is Qilin Fest, which is named after the NYU Shanghai mascot. “What I love is the sense of community,” she explains. “Qilin Fest is technically for new students, but everyone is welcome. It’s a great opportunity for upper-level students to take new students under our wings—and enjoy delicious traditional Chinese food.”

This is the first of a two-part story about studying media at NYU. Stay tuned for Part Two, where we dive into each student’s experiences, achievements, and unique pathways through their time studying media at NYU.