CoJMC students publish work examining refugee resettlement

Monday, June 19, 2017 - 11:15am

Nebraska Mosaic students have published an in-depth multimedia project about the role Lincoln has played in the resettling of refugees.  Students in the spring semester of the journalism capstone course produced the seven-part series – “Refuge on the Prairie.”

“When President Trump announced the travel ban in January, it seemed like a good time to step back and take an in-depth look at resettlement,” said Michelle Carr Hassler, who teaches the course. “I think the students did an exceptional job exploring all angles of the issue.”

In addition to the multimedia project, students in the spring semester published news stories and features on the Nebraska Mosaic website and curated content for an email newsletter.

“Nebraska Mosaic has a unique mission within both the college and the community,” said Hassler, assistant professor of practice. “While Mosaic is one of two required capstone journalism courses in which students receive hands-on publishing experience, it also helps fill a communication need in a city that has attracted refugees and immigrants from all over the world. And with Mosaic’s established website, newsletter and social media platforms, the course becomes the perfect lab for students to explore ways to create journalism that will meaningfully engage diverse audiences.”

The spring semester course included the following students: Nate Becwar, Allan Christensen, Madeline Christensen, Taige Hale, Alanna Johnson, Cassie Kernick, Mekenzie Kerr, Hana Muslic, Drew Preston, Jennifer Rooney, Jason Shaneyfelt, Andy Vipond, Zach Worthington and Madison Wurtele.

Since the Nebraska Mosaic website was launched in 2011, more than 450 stories about Nebraska’s newest residents have been published.

Nebraska has helped resettle 11,075 refugees since 2002, according to the U.S. State Department Refugee Processing Center. Twenty-seven percent of those have settled in Lincoln.

Mosaic class
Alanna Johnson photographs May Nguyen as she works on a customer's wedding dress in her shop, May's Alterations.