What is it like to be a M.S. Documentary student at Columbia Journalism School? We talked about the student experience with Class of 2021 M.S. Documentary Specialization honors graduate Teresa Cebrián Aranda, who received a Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting fellowship for the master's project documentary "Changing Course," which she co-directed with Mariel Rodriguez-McGill, about a group of teenagers in the South Bronx who learn to navigate adolescence through New York City's waterways. She is now a producer for PBS NewsHour.
Please read the Q&A below to learn about Teresa's education at Columbia:
What inspired you to apply to Columbia Journalism School?
I had a background in international affairs, and I was working with the U.N. in communications. And I realized that the way I could really make an impact was by covering the issues that I cared about. So I came to Columbia because I wanted to strengthen my beat in international reporting. I did the dual degree in international affairs with Columbia SIPA as well. What I really wanted to get out of J-School was top-notch reporting skills and also visual storytelling skills. And I think that is what I was going to get from the documentary filmmaking. I was not only going to become a really good reporter, but I was going to come out of Columbia with amazing filmmaking skills that I wanted to combine to cover the stories that I wanted to tell.
Why did you specifically want to be in the M.S. Documentary Specialization?
I've always been drawn to documentary filmmaking. I also had a bit of experience with photography, and I knew that I wanted that to be part of my career. With regards to documentary filmmaking, for me it's really about visually transmitting ideas and stories that cannot always be transmitted through writing. I think it's super powerful to transmit other realities to other people and to show some parts of the world or people's experiences that are not always seen or heard. And my goal, and the reason why I wanted to be a journalist, is to strengthen communication between people - and create empathy as well.
What training at Columbia was the most valuable for you?
I think the biggest thing that I got out of the program was how to think visually and how to think in scenes, and how to convey a story visually, as opposed to in writing. And I think the documentary specialization at Columbia is a really good program to guide you through the process of making a documentary from conception to the end and distribution. The school teaches you to work at very high industry standards, so when you come out of the program, you not only know how to pitch an idea or a proposal, but you know how to also execute it, you know how to write a grant, to apply for funding, you know how to shoot it, you know how to edit it, and you know how to develop the story.
I'd say another highlight of the program for me has been our professors, Thor Neureiter and Judith Helfand, who have been there through it all. They're not only our teachers, but they're also really our advisors, our mentors. They screen our work over and over, they rewrite our pitches, they want us to achieve what we came to do and they won't let us down.
I got such a wide range of skills in reporting and investigative techniques that can be applicable to different mediums, and I'm happy that I learned the structure, that I learned the basics, that I learned how to report, that I learned how to talk to sources, and that I learned what is a good story and what isn't. Now I can go out into the world and do whatever I want with my training and in whatever form and medium I want.
What was it like starting the program with the Reporting Module, in which students go out into New York City to find stories?
Well, it was definitely intense. And I think that a lot of the sentiment that students feel at J-School is, "How am I gonna do this?" And I think that's kind of the feeling that I had. In the past I had some journalism experience, but I never really worked at a paper or at work or anything like that. So, it was pretty daunting. But I enjoyed the fact that we were allowed particularly in a COVID year to go out there and get stories and report - and really step out of our comfort zone and just walk around the neighborhood and talk to people and approach them and see what's ticking on this side of the world and what are their concerns, what are their worries and what do people care about. That was an immense pleasure, and I felt really fortunate to be able to do that, particularly in a year that was really rough for everyone.
And I also have to say that Joanne Faryon was an amazing reporting professor. I learned so much from her and I think part of the reason why I'm here, and part of the reason why I'm still in love with journalism and the work that we do is because professors like her who really made me believe in myself because I did not believe in myself in the beginning.
What elective Seminar & Production class did you choose to take in the spring semester?
I chose "Narrative Social Issues," which was totally unexpected. I never thought I'd want to do that, but I chose it because it was taught by Dale Maharidge. Dale had come to our reporting class to lecture at one point during, and I thought he was an amazing writer. I really liked the way he covered his stories, and I also really liked his approach to journalism because it's very immersive, and in a way it's really similar to documentary filmmaking. A lot of the skills that I was learning in my documentary seminar are actually I think were applicable to immersive journalism and immersive narrative writing: find a character, follow that character, find out what the story is, and just spend time with your sources and structure this story in three acts. The same rules apply to narrative writing.
What advice do you have for future Columbia students?
One thing that I would say is to believe in yourself. Take risks and do not be afraid to make mistakes because this is the time to make them. I think I'm more confident now as a journalist because my professors pushed me to do things that I thought I was not able to do. They pushed me. I went for documentary filmmaking and I was like, "No way, I'm not going to become a writer, I don't want to write, I'm not good at this. Also English is not my first language," but professors like Joanne Faryon and Dale Maharidge pushed me to write and told me, "you're a good writer and you can do it." That's the only reason why I decided to also pursue writing.
What advice do you have for those thinking of applying to Columbia?
I think if they're thinking about investing in a program like this, I would ask myself: "Why do you want to be a journalist?" If you're considering coming to Columbia just write yourself a list of the reasons you want to be a journalist. Because I think what a lot of people, what a lot of professors tell us when we first get to school is, if you're here, it's because you want to be here - and if you don't want to be here, it shows. It's not about the grades, it's about your passion. So, I think really thinking about that and putting in that inner work into yourself, if you're considering the program. Because it's going to be intense and they're going to push you, and that's a good thing, but you have to be up for it. And I would just say, if you know you want to be a journalist, I'd say come to Columbia Journalism School because it's one of the best schools in the country. You're going to learn from the best professors. It's going to be super intense, it's going to be hard, but don't give up because it's going to change your life.
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