Looking back at Summer Media Institute 2026

This summer, the UF College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) hosted the annual Summer Media Institute (SMI). This week-long workshop aims to bring together high school students from across the country to prepare them for college and show them what they can do at UFCJC. While SMI is one of the college’s longest-running recruitment programs and one of the biggest such events in the country, new leadership and the addition of a second week made 2026 a big year in SMI history.

“This was my first year, so I pretty much followed a blueprint previous leadership had in place,” said Maria Camacho, who was hired in August 2025 as the Director of the Summer Media Institute. “The biggest lesson for me was understanding how much support and help we need in order to make it happen. Delegating and trusting the staff that worked during SMI was very important to make the best out of the two weeks program.”

In addition to having a new director, 2026’s SMI was also one of the largest ever gatherings. Weimer Hall welcomed 294 students this year, hailing from 30 different states, three foreign countries, and one U.S. territory. To handle this massive volume of students, Camacho and the SMI team implemented several new processes to make the camp registration and onboarding process clearer and more efficient. The event was also split into two weeks this year, with the first week full of typical SMI programs and keynote speakers and the second week focused on all things sports media.

Both weeks turned out to be big hits among the students, who provided very positive feedback for many of the specialization courses. From the first week, the most popular courses were Broadcast Reporting, Anchoring and Hosting, Communicating for the Greater Good and Social Media, all of which had high enrollment and good reviews. Sports Broadcasting, Sports Social Media and Sports Play-by-Play were the most popular courses from the sports media week.

While the focus of SMI is always on teaching high school students about the field of communications, it is also a chance for those students to get a taste of the college experience. Since they’re living in dorms on campus for the duration of SMI, there are plenty of activities available outside the classroom. This year, bowling night and karaoke night proved to be very popular.

“You could see the joy of the moment in each student, making good memories, new friendships while finding their passion for journalism,” said Camacho.

With 2026’s SMI in the books, planning for 2027 will begin this fall. Thanks to the positive feedback on the specialization courses offered this year, Camacho hopes to add even more courses next year, like health journalism and science/environmental journalism. Artificial intelligence was also a big topic of discussion during many sessions this year, so she also hopes to integrate AI into future events.

Student Testimonials

● “’Communicating for the Greater Good’ professor was amazing, very engaging, and shared useful skills that you can use in your own life”

● “I really enjoyed SMI. I learned how to use different equipment and editing softwares”

● “I liked how my teacher went really in depth into the inner workings of social media marketing”

● “Lots of hands-on work, great teaching and the Gator aides were really helpful”

Category: College News
Tagged: Maria Fernanda Camacho student experience Summer Media Institute
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