The Office of National Fellowships and Scholarships is proud to announce that Colgate graduate Jake Gómez ’21 has been selected to join this year’s cohort of Luce Scholars through the Henry Luce Foundation. The Luce Scholars Program seeks to support open-minded, curious early career professionals across a wide spectrum of academic and professional interests. The 13-month program begins with two months of intensive language training to help scholars develop the linguistic skills needed to thrive in their host countries. The remainder of the year is spent on an international job placement tailored to the program applicants and their prior experiences, during which time scholars focus on immersion within the local culture, building connections with colleagues, and supporting their host country in their field of choice.
At Colgate, Jake double majored in Middle Eastern Studies and Peace and Conflict Studies and was a member of the Benton Scholars Program. It was here that his interests in journalism and civic engagement started to blossom, leading him to become a founding member of Newsreel, a news-media platform featured in Forbes and CNN that helps connect and engage younger generations with current affairs. Upon graduation, at which point he received Colgate’s 1819 Award for academic exceptionalism and campus involvement, Jake continued his involvement with Newsreel while working for a range of Washington, DC-based communications firms to support pro-democracy national and international missions.
Jake spent a period working full-time on Newsreel, but ultimately decided to return to the things he loves most: writing, researching, and learning firsthand from the dedicated work of others. This drove him to spend a year in Tunisia in 2024 through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, during which time he took on freelance journalism work, got involved with social entrepreneurship initiatives in Tunis, and contributed to editorial work for the Observatory for Food Sovereignty and the Environment.
During his Luce year, Jake will likely be placed in Southeast Asia, working at a local media outlet for community journalism. “There are so many remarkable newsrooms reporting in complicated environments in Asia,” Jake remarked, “and I’m so excited to see how they operate and approach challenges like public trust, misinformation, and more.”
Jake is highly optimistic about the year ahead, especially at the prospects of learning a new language, becoming fully integrated into his community placement, and exploring the intersections between journalism and community involvement internationally. “I’m really looking forward to seeing what community-based journalism can look like in a new context, and I’m hoping that I can take a lot of what I learn from the amazing folks at these organizations and apply it to the journalism and information ecosystem here in the U.S.”
For students interested in entering the realm of journalism and civic engagement, Jake reminds that there are a host of opportunities and ways to get involved and uncover the most fitting career path. “The journalism and civics worlds can feel rigid — like you have to do x and y to get to z. I definitely felt those pressures entering the workforce post-Colgate. But our world is rapidly changing, and becoming informed or civically engaged is increasingly achieved through new and creative ways… Don't map your path to someone else's. Find the issues that matter to you, and then find your way in.”
To learn more about the Luce Scholars Program or other international competitive awards, reach out to Meghan Niedt, mniedt@colgate.edu, in the Office of National Fellowships and Scholarships to schedule an appointment.