What does it take to go from being a student photographer to documenting history at the White House?

In this episode of One Cool Story: Tales from the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication (SOJC), fourth-year public relations student Symone Moore sits down with SOJC alum Polly Irungu ’17—photojournalist, founder of Black Women Photographers, a photographer for Governor Wes Moore of Maryland, and former photo editor for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Polly shares how a social media internship with NPR jumpstarted her career, why you don’t need to live in a big city to make it big, and how she’s built a global network that empowers creators of color.

Stay tuned to the end for her One Cool Story—a memorable brush with a huge celebrity at the Grammys.

Listen to hear:

• How Polly turned a passion for storytelling into a national platform.
• What it’s like working in the White House.
• Her advice for aspiring photographers and communicators.

Subscribe to the One Cool Story podcast: https://journalism.uoregon.edu/podcast Learn about the UO School of Journalism and Communication: https://journalism.uoregon.edu/ Apply to the UO School of Journalism and Communication: https://sojc.link/SOJC-apply Learn more about Polly: https://journalism.uoregon.edu/eric-allen-award/polly-irungu