Senior Showcase and Student Documentary Premiere
Friday, May 3, 5 p.m.
University Center Theatre
A showcase for our graduating seniors. See their capstone projects and share their successes. The evening will include the screening premiere of this year’s student documentary, “Trash Talk: Montana Recycling Challenge.”
School of Journalism Graduation
Saturday, May 4, 12 p.m.
Music Recital Hall
We can’t wait to celebrate the class of 2019!
Students: Bring as many guests as you’d like and just show up, fill out a blue card and that’s it! You graduate! (Well, after you’ve done all the tireless work to get here, that is.)
The Society of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi Awards recognize the best in professional journalism in categories covering print, radio, television, newsletters, art/graphics, online and research. This year’s winners will be honored in a ceremony in June in Washington D.C.
Dowling’s documentary follows the story of 10-year-old Alex O’Neill, who knew he was a boy when he was a toddler, as he changes his gender legally and socially. Listeners get to know Alex and his family as they navigate issues like which swim team Alex competes on or which bathroom he uses while he’s at school. The story looks at the policy, history, mental health concerns and trends around transgender youth. But, it’s about much more too — it’s a story about family, identity, community and belonging.
Regional stations also picked up the documentary and one producer, Skip Wood, at Prairie Public Radio in North Dakota called the piece, “Top notch. Heartwarming. Positive. Important.”
Dowling said she first became interested in the challenges of being young and transgender when one of her students shared the roadblocks he met on campus when transitioning.
“When I began reporting, I found it remarkable just how many young people, and their families, were facing similar paths,” she said. “Alex, his parents and siblings were incredibly gracious to allow me into their lives to document his transition. They welcomed me into some of their most private moments as I
followed Alex and his journey over three years. I learned so much from them and saw first-hand how family support makes all the difference in a transgender child’s mental health.”
For Dowling, the story was about documenting Alex’s story, but also sharing valuable information with the public about the issue.
“I also gained knowledge from speaking to researchers, doctors, educators and attorneys about transgender youth. The documentary shares that information in hopes that other families can find help in supporting transgender youth,” she said. “And I hope it opens all our eyes to this hidden population and what we can do to help transgender kids find their way to a successful future.”
The piece was made possible through funding from the School of Journalism and the University of Montana’s Faculty Research Fund, with special thanks to Montana Public Radio.
On April 2, radio journalist, speaker and author Celeste Headlee presented “Ten Ways to Have Better Conversations” at the annual Dean Stone Lecture hosted by the University of Montana School of Journalism.
In a time when conversations are often minimized to a few words in a text message and lack of meaningful communication and dialogue abounds, Headlee shed much-needed light on the lost and essential art of conversation.
Watch her talk here:
About Celeste:
As a journalist, Celeste has interviewed hundreds of people from all walks of life. Through her work, she’s learned the true power of conversation and its ability to both bridge gaps or deepen wounds. As a mixed race journalist of black and Jewish descent, Celeste also speaks candidly about how to converse on race and other difficult subjects.
She’s the author of “Heard Mentality” and “We Need To Talk: How To Have Conversations That Matter.” She has worked for 20 years in public radio, most recently as co-host of the podcast, Scene On Radio. She’s anchored Talk of the Nation, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition and was co-host of the national morning news show, The Takeaway from PRI and WNYC. Celeste’s TEDx Talk has more than 19 million views to date.
Dowling’s piece, which originally aired on Montana Public Radio, was also named a 
Dowling said she first became interested in the challenges of being young and transgender when one of her students shared the roadblocks he met on campus when transitioning.