It was the trip of a lifetime for some University of Miami communications students who recently returned from Greece, where they covered the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens.
Kathryn Rende, a UM graduate student who has been working with the special Olympics since she was in high school, said the best part wasn't the actual games, but something more.
"Watching someone leave with a brand new pair of glasses, or a hearing aid, and seeing the smiles on their faces, it was a joy," Rende said.
Students also conducted interviews with competitors and their families, filmed the events, and edited it all together throughout their June-July trip.
"It gives them a real opportunity in the field and to use the skills they learned in the classroom," Visual Journalism Professor Rich Beckman said.
And when you're out in the field, you never know what's going to happen. Video coach Trevor Green was able to capture angry protesters rioting while on the 11-day trip.
"The extremists were throwing rocks, police were using tear gas in front of me," Green said. "I didn't realize how much the people in Greece felt betrayed by their own government. It relates to what's going on with the economy in our country now."
And that leaves these very talented students wondering: what's next?
"It's not the best time to enter the workforce as a journalist so I don't know what to expect," graduate student Chris Letendre said.
A total of 10 visual journalism students went to Greece to cover the Special Olympics. You can watch their stories at www.specialolympics.org.
