How Students Organized the Inaugural Mustang Media Fest

In keeping with Cal Poly Journalism’s Learn by Doing tradition, this year’s inaugural Mustang Media Fest is being organized by the students themselves. 

“We've poured our heart and soul into this project,” says Jennaca Ortiz, a fourth-year journalism student who is heading up the festival’s marketing committee.

Journalism 415 (Public Relations Practicum)
students helped plan the inaugural
Mustang Media Fest along with Professor
Casey McDonald-Liu

A new vision for a signature event

Ortiz and fellow students were tasked with expanding on the mission of Cal Poly’s long-running Jim Hayes Symposium, evolving it into a multi-day celebration of Cal Poly Journalism and student media, running October 22-25, 2025. 

Events will include student workshops and speaker sessions, the re-imagined Jim Hayes Keynote and the Mustang Media Hall of Fame Gala. 

Student involvement began in January, when teams in Dr. Casey McDonald-Liu's Public Relations Campaigns class (JOUR 413) developed the concepts and created pitches for the event. A winning proposal was selected by members of the Cal Poly Journalism Advisory Board. 

Refining the vision

Students then passed the baton to the spring quarter’s Senior Project: Public Relations Practicum class (JOUR 415) to develop the programming for Mustang Media Fest. Over a ten-week period, students were assigned to committees (including programming, marketing, and outreach) to organize the schedule of events, speakers, branding and messaging. 

Ortiz and a handful of students in both JOUR 413 and JOUR 415 were part of the process from the very beginning, and although many graduated in June, they are eager to return to campus in October to see their project come to life.  

In the end, Ortiz said, the festival will be “a great way for students to really dive into the major and get involved, and it's a great way for alumni to come back and be a part of the community — make some new connections, see some old friends, and enjoy all the great things that Cal Poly Journalism has going on right now.” 

“I think it's really going to be a lot of fun,” she said. “This has been kind of like our little passion project, our little baby.” 

Get involved

Check out the new Mustang Media Fest website and if you’d like to get involved in the festival, please sign up here to pitch a session or workshop. More details and event registration information coming soon.