Students Experience World Cup from Ghana

An Article from the UO SOJC eflash publication.

Students Experience World Cup from Ghana
by Jason Bernert — last modified 03:31 PM Fri Jul 09, 2010

Journalism students celebrated World Cup victories with the Ghanaians while studying abroad in the West African country during the tournament.
Students Experience World Cup from Ghana

Though the US loss to Ghana may have deflated US soccer fans, journalism students celebrated the victory with the Ghanaians while studying abroad in the West African country during the tournament.

The SOJC Media in Ghana program provides students a six-week study and work opportunity. However, this year it also gave students the opportunity to celebrate World Cup victories with the country. Ghana gained the support from all of Africa once it made the final 16, and the country was electric with excitement and patriotism.

“Everything stops nationwide for the big games and people watch in groups,” writes SOJC Professor Leslie Steeves from Ghana in an email interview. “We had a blast watching [them] beat the USA and we were ALL wearing Ghana jerseys and flags and cheering for Ghana -- it means so much to the country -- it's impossible not to get caught up in it.” Steeves is the director of the study program. She helps guide students as they learn and work in their new environment. Students attend lectures by University of Ghana School of Communication Studies and work at an internship matched to their area of study including magazine, advertising, electronic media, and public relations.

“It was so amazing to witness a group of people so ecstatic over a win,” writes Katelyn Berry, a student currently enrolled in the program. “It is like nothing else I have seen before. It took us so long to get home because people were stopping traffic by dancing in the street and on people’s cars. Needless to say it was a relatively late night.” Berry blogs about her experience traveling through Ghana, watching the World Cup, and working at her internship with Ghanaweb.com, an online advertising agency.

The Ghana program started at the University of Kansas as the Summer Media Institute in Ghana. The UO sent students through Kansas until 2001, when the SOJC started its own program. The program highlights Ghana as an excellent study abroad site because of its increasing number of tourists, emerging economy, and growing media presence, along with Ghana’s rich culture.

Dean Tim Gleason returned recently from his first trip to Ghana and Africa after wanting to witness the program firsthand. “What impressed me was our student’s ability to immerse themselves in Ghana media organizations,” said Gleason. “I’m very impressed with them. They just jump right in with enthusiasm.“ Steeves agrees with Gleason. “It is always educational to move outside one's comfort zone and learn to appreciate and function in a very different cultural context,” she said, “particularly in a developing country without the resources available in the U.S.”