Voices of Utah is an award-winning community-engaged learning project run by journalism students in the Department of Communication at the University of Utah. Created in 2007 by Professor Kimberley Mangun, the hands-on course gives students ongoing opportunities to cover a diverse beat and practice multimedia storytelling.

To date, students have covered 15 communities, some more than once, including LGBTQ, refugee, African American, aging, Hispanic/Latino(a), and people with disabilities. These experiences have proved transformative for many students; they have published reflective blogs about overcoming stereotypes and grappling with issues of bias or objectivity while responding to the needs of the community they are covering. 

The course was reimagined in 2023 by Clinical Associate Professor Marcie Young Cancio. Her goal is to bring a strong emphasis on media literacy to all courses, incorporating critical discussion, analysis and engagement to further the value of knowing how to smartly read and consume media messages inside and outside the classroom. She aims to incorporate collaborative and non-profit news and storytelling projects into coursework in partnership with Amplify Utah—a non-profit focusing on increasing representation in local media by developing, fostering and growing news consumers across the state through student and community journalism.

The goals for the course continue to be the same as those Mangun first outlined more than a decade ago: “I want students to learn about underrepresented communities, to report fairly and accurately on their issues and concerns, to become more empathetic, to challenge themselves personally and professionally, and to become a civic-minded graduate of the University of Utah.”