Meet the Storytellers
Students
Eden Ross
Co-Editor
Fashion, Art & Culture
3 field notes
Katarina Ilic
Co-Editor
2 field notes
Jenna Lyons
Art Director
2 field notes
Eli Ruderman
Co-Photo Editor
Nightlife, Food
2 field notes
Rachel Peterson
Co-Photo Editor
Portuguese seafood industry
2 field notes
Kyra Mitchell
Multimedia
Cuisine, Nightlife, Filmmakers
1 field note
Matias Crespo
Videographer
Portuguese seafood industry
2 field notes
Paetyn Rector
Social Media
Tattoo Culture, Nightlife
1 field note
Isaac Alvarado
Videographer/ Photographer
Cuisine, Art
3 field notes
Mia Wildenhain
Social Media
Nightlife, Speakeasies
1 field note
Kelsey Kerr
Photographer
2 field notes
Kaylie Helget
Project Manager
Nightlife & Food
1 field note
Jack Denari
Writing & Photography
Culture, Religion, and Music
0 field notes
Instructor & Alum Mentor(s)
Ed Madison
Professor/Advisor
University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication
I've been fascinated by photography, video, and travel for as long as I can remember. Over the years, I’ve had the chance to lead and collaborate with colleagues on student reporting expeditions to Cuba, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Colombia, Vietnam, and destinations closer to home, including New Orleans. What I love most is challenging students to step outside what’s familiar, experience new cultures, discover what we have in common, and celebrate the differences that make each place unique. My media career actually started in high school, when I interned at the CBS television affiliate in Washington, D.C., during the height of Watergate. Later, I had the privilege of being part of CNN when the network first launched. Those were incredible experiences, but these days, the most fun I have is working alongside students and creating opportunities for them to explore, report, and tell stories from around the world.
Michael Buisan ('14)
Alum Mentor
Freelance Videographer
I’m one of the mentors for the Lisbon experience, and my background is in filmmaking and documentary work. I’m interested in how stories come together visually and how we can use film to better understand people and place. Mostly, I’m here to support students as they experiment, take creative risks, and figure out what kinds of stories they want to tell.
Jordan Bentz ('12)
Alum Mentor
Freelance Videograher
I'm one of the mentors for the Lisbon experience, and over the years I’ve worked across documentary photography, design, apps, and other creative projects. I tend to enjoy moving between different kinds of media rather than staying in just one lane. I’ve also mentored students on SOJC trips to Cuba, Colombia, New Orleans, and Portland, Oregon. On this trip, I’m here to help students think through their ideas, solve creative problems, and explore different ways of telling stories.
Guest Speakers
Francsco Melim
Freelance Documentary Photographer
Freelance
Monday, August 31, 2026
Francisco Melim (Lisbon, b. 1993) is a documentary photographer and visual storyteller whose work centers on intimate, human-scale narratives. He moves fluidly between long-form documentary projects, portraiture, and editorial commissions, with a style that feels cinematic but grounded in lived reality.
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Gonçalo Fonseca
Documentary Photographer & Photojournalist
Freelance
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Gonçalo Fonseca (Lisbon, b. 1993) is an award-winning documentary photographer and photojournalist known for long-term projects with strong social context. His series New Lisbon won the Leica Oskar Barnack Award (Newcomer) in 2020, and his work models how to build sustained visual reporting over time.
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Chris Fitch
Travel + Science Writer/Author
Freelance
September 2, 2026
Chris Fitch is a Lisbon-based travel and science writer whose reporting connects place, culture, and the natural world. He’s the author of multiple books, including Wild Cities, which explores how nature and human life intersect in urban environments, and he regularly writes for international outlets.
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Ana Paganini
Portrait + Documentary Artist
Freelance
September 3, 2026
Ana Paganini (Lisbon, b. 1995) is a portrait and documentary photographer whose work explores memory, identity, and the traces people and communities leave behind. Her practice is research-driven and often engages archives and cultural history—an ideal lens for arts and culture profiling.
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Luis Boza
Photographer
Feelance
September 4, 2026
Luis Boza Born in Caracas, Venezuela (1983), Luis is an Italian freelance photographer with reduced mobility based in Lisbon, Portugal. With over 15 years of experience shooting for digital and print media across Venezuela, Mexico, the USA, and Europe, his work has been featured by international editorial and news agencies including VIEWpress, Anadolu Agency, and NurPhoto. Luis approaches visual storytelling with bold creativity and technical skill, and he lives by the conviction that his physical challenge does not limit the depth or impact of his vision.
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