The interactive documentary, "Over Water Under Fire," combines a video narrative with motion graphics and text to present the Colorado River as a living timeline of our nation's innovations and exploitations with water as the river's uncertain future echoes the precarious state of water resources in this country. The graphics and text pieces will focus on how humans have physically altered the environment along the river in response to limited water resources, how the river has responded to those changes and what choices the country will have to make in the future. The narrative arc is integrated with a video story on Special Ops veterans who come back from battle zones with PTSD and take a river trip called "Warriors on Cataract" as a means of therapy. These veterans emphasize the human connection to water resources and subtly echo the theme of U.S. resource allocation. Project Credits:Editors-in-Chief: Emma Galli, G. Ligaiya Romero; Design: Emma Galli, Katy Denning, Brittain McNeel; Research/Writing: Natalie Taylor, Hannah Weinberger; Video/Editing: Spencer Bakalar, Erin Hull, G. Ligaiya Romero; Programming: Eric Pait, Ashlyn Still; Marketing: John Remensperger

As our country continues to recover from the long economic downturn, Americans find ways to handle the challenges of life and move forward. UNC students from Advanced and Documentary Photojournalism classes scoured their communities to find real people with fascinating stories of hardship and hope. For the past two years the stories they told have explored everything from gun violence to immigration, the pain of loss to the chasing of a dream. In doing so, they have dared to picture what matters to us. Project Credits:Kathryn Carlson, Bryce Butner, Ryan Comfort, Mika Chance, Josh Davis, Morgan McCloy, Caroly Van Houten, Seth Muller, Vanessa Patchett, Julia Wall, Lauren Vied, Chelsey Allder, Mallory Darida, Andrew Mackenzie, Christopher Lane, Ashley Blue, Stephen Mitchell, Rebecca Yan, Allison Williams, Rachel Dennis. Faculty Pat Davison.

More than a quarter of Missouri's population lives in rural areas. Many of the towns these people live in are beyond the point where our radio signal dies and are outside newspapers’ circulation areas. ‘My Life, My Town’ documents a slice of time in the lives of teenagers from small Missouri towns. These are the youth who make up the hope and future of rural life – if they decide to stay. Our hope is that getting to know the children these villages raise will provide a unique look at the day-to-day joys and struggles of rural life. Project Credits:Executive Producer: Sarah Hoffman, Assistant Producer Visuals: Megan May, University of Missouri Faculty: Ryan Famuliner, Mike Jenner, Brian Kratzer Janet Saidi Audio Producers: Erin Dismeier, Emily Kaiser, Visual Producers: Yi-Chin Lee, Naveen Mahadevan, Audio/Visual Producers: Kevin Cook, Ben Hoste, Greg Kendall-Ball, Stuart Palley

Reflections were offered, aspirations were shared and personalities were revealed. Some broke into song, while others cried tears of joy or sorrow. No two were alike, but it was the bond they shared as residents of Boone County that brought a century of voices together. Each offered a glimpse of the past, present and future of our community. It’s a capsule of our time and place. Over four months, they were asked to share anything they wanted on camera. One hundred videos were produced, 100 portraits were taken — one for each age, 1 to 100. Into the studio would come a 97-year-old, followed by a 9-year-old. Residents from all over Boone County arrived at the studio with the understanding that they were representing their age. Most entered with a basic idea of how they wanted to articulate who they were at this point in their lives. Yet many walked in clueless of how much they would soon reveal — or even what they would learn about themselves in the process. It ultimately gave them a chance to reflect on life — and to leave something behind of who they are and what they’ve learned. The 36-year-old has told her story countless times. The story is even available in hardback and paperback at the local bookstore in the Boone County area. This time, however, she chokes up as she tries to get through the story of her dear friend suffering from cancer. Moments later, a 23-year-old, who is sitting in the same seat, admits she didn’t even know where Missouri was on a map as she traveled halfway around the country from India. In a crowd of people, she is aware that she stands out due to the hijab she doesn’t leave home without. Yet, she too feels part of the community. Little by little, the community grows closer together when we actually listen to one another. From these videos of your neighbors, you’ll find that life amounts to more than limited individual trajectories and experiences. Together they reveal how personal identity and the character of a place are intertwined. Project Credits:Alyssa Goodman, Katie Alaimo, Jason Redmond, Will Guldin, Brian Kratzer and Erica Mendez Babcock

Every life's journey has at least one turning point — a moment big or small that led to meaningful change. In the three-part path set before you, some universal themes emerge from the uniquely personal turning points behind each story. You are invited to relive the Lessons Learned, the Lives Transformed, and the Adversity Embraced by our neighbors as you journey through this year's edition of Soul of Athens. Project Credits:School of Visual Communication: Won Suk Choi , Ryan Kellman , Zachary Kuzmic , Sara Lewkowicz , Matthew Moyer , Dijana Muminovic , Will Parson , Stephen Reiss , Heather Rousseau , Jeremy Saks , Nicolas Tanner , Anne Ward , Logan Werlinger , Erica Yoon , Erin Corneliussen , Andrea Frazier , Skylar Gould , Isaac Hale , Rachel Keaveny , Lauren Martinez , Tyler Means , Anna Moore , Julia Moss , Emily Pignatiello , Olivia Reaney , Mary-Megan Roussos , Emily Stevens , Brien Vincent , Olivia Wallace ,

Boasting tall mountains and taller tales, the High Country region in North Carolina has inspired a rare breed of characters, from rugged individualists to society queens. In between lies a rich vein of history - how this beautiful, rugged landscape shaped communities, and how people worked the land to make it their own. Some stories are legend; others tell of the simple things: love, family, faith … and hard work. In a region celebrated for its natural beauty, the human landscape holds stories of lasting worth. In the tenth annual Carolina Photojournalism Workshop, UNC students found captivating people with riveting tales to tell. Tales of trial and of joy, of love and loss. climb into the Heart of the High Country. Project Credits:Chelsey Allder, Shae Allison, Chris Conway, Sara Cowell, Ora Dekornfeld, Simone Duval, Clare Fieseler, Jagmeet Mac, Melissa Key, Morgan McCloy, Eric Pait, Emily Rhyne, Mary Stevens, Karla Towle, Brian Walker, Ivan Weiss, Jason Wolonik, faculty team.