After a 6-year break, mass media returns to the International Media Seminar in Paris

by Connor Doel & Emily McGinnis

On March 12, 2023, nine students, one alumnus, and one professor embarked on an eight-day trip to Paris after a six-year delay partially due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“Washburn has been offering this particular trip we call the International Media Seminar in Paris for more than 10 years,” said Maria Stover, professor and chair of mass media.

It takes a lot of work behind-the-scenes to not only set the trip up, but also to make sure students move efficiently through the process.

“This is a great trip,” Stover said. “We think of it as one of our flagship experiential learning experiences. It achieves many goals but on an educational level it really exposes students to the top professionals in the world of mass media who happen to work and live in Paris.”

Of course, no one could have predicted that students would be staying very close to protests that broke out in France when the government raised the retirement age from 62 to 64. It certainly added another layer to this year’s experience.

Jess Seidel said she was never worried about being near the protests in Paris, partly because of Stover’s familiarity with the city and her ability to keep the students on track with the educational experiences and the cultural opportunities.

“Paris was amazing,” Seidel said. “I really enjoyed getting to see another country’s political process in action. I loved visiting the Palace of Versailles, you really can't understand the opulence, even seeing it in person.”

The professionals that the students on the trip in the past have met are not just your average practitioner.

“Throughout the years we have talked to reporters for CNN, photographers for National Geographic, expert writers on various topics, and even contributors to fashion magazines,” Stover said. “The experience alone for Washbrun students to have that interaction with premiere professionals is already a significant goal.”

This year’s group of speakers included Gregoire

After arriving in Paris, seniors Maggie Cabrera and Alyssa Storm headed off with the travel party to explore The Eiffel Tower For most students, this was the first time they saw the famous landmark in person.

Morot, a partner at Favori, a global public relations firm, and Kathleen Beckett, who is currently a contributor to the New York Times, and a former staff writer with Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, and Vogue.

One of Seidel’s favorite guest speakers was Susan Perry, co-author of “Human Rights and Digital Technology: Digital Tightrope.”

Along with all of the top-level speakers, students were treated to a packed cultural itinerary, which included a boat ride on the Seine River, walking down the Champs Elysees, and exploring the the city’s marketplaces.

Alyssa Storm shares photos and reflections on her spring trip to Paris with her best friend and fellow senior Maggie Cabrera

“We were on the boat tour, and we were stuck there because there was another boat in our way. So, we thought might as well take some photos, but after a while of being on the river, it got so cold,” said Storm.

(above) Storm had to get a photo posing with a heart made of skulls on a wall of bones in the Paris Catacombs. Storm mentioned that she was interested in exploring the catacombs even further outside of what their tour guide was showing them.

(bottom right) Cabrera and Storm pose together at The Palais Royale “I’ve seen so many people take photos in this area, so I just had to snap one here,” said Cabrera.