FIU Journalism + Media celebrated the official opening ceremony of the newly implemented Univision Students Training & Employment Program (STEP) at the Univision Studios in Doral, FL on Monday, Jan. 13.
Offered in collaboration with Univision University, the Univision STEP Capstone Practicum Semester provides FIU Journalism + Media students the opportunity to train with journalism and media professionals who manage the day-to-day business of Univision and gain on-the-job experience while completing program requirements for their degrees.
“The journalism and media department at FIU is all about ensuring our students have access to experiential learning,” said Brian Schriner, Dean of the College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts (CARTA). “We firmly believe that the best way for our students to become successful journalists is to learn by doing. There’s no better place for them to learn the ethics, the research or the content production they need than working side-by-side with FIU and Univision.”
The event included a ribbon-cutting ceremony and remarks by Ruben Robledo, VP of Production Operations for Univision Communications, Vincent Sadusky, Chief Executive Officer of Univision Communications, Brian Schriner, Teresa Ponte, Department Chair of Journalism + Media and Diane Kniowski, President and Regional General Manager of Local Media for Univision Communications.
After the event, the STEP students were invited to a reception where they were able to begin networking with Univision team members.
“We are really excited for this partnership with FIU,” said Kniowski. “Our students will be working with some of our best to learn about analytics and tracking the stories they do, how to grow time spent viewing on our website, how to backtrack a story and so much more. The beautiful thing about work is, if it’s in your skillset and it’s what you like doing, it doesn’t feel like work.”
What are students hoping to gain through STEP?
“I want to learn everything I can about anchoring and reporting,” said FIU Journalism + Media student, Andrea Igliozzi ’20. “I’m also really excited that the program gives me the opportunity to practice reporting in Spanish.
“I have a strong passion for the entertainment industry and STEP will help me learn about content producing, anchoring, editing and more,” said FIU Journalism + Media student, Nayeli Lomeli ’20. “I grew up watching Univision, so to be here is a real dream come true.”
To learn more about STEP click here.
