Matthew Hashiguchi received his BA in journalism and photography from The Ohio State University and was a contributing member of The Lantern, the award-winning student newspaper at Ohio State. He earned his master’s degree in documentary film and visual & media art from Emerson College. In 2025, Hashiguchi won a Peabody Award for his documentary, The Only Doctor, which focuses on rural health and the services provided by a single doctor in Georgia. He currently teaches at Georgia Southern University serving as a professor of multimedia film and production.
Could you share any moments that had a significant impact on your time at the university and how they shaped your experience?
My early schooling was extremely science and math focused, so I never had significant exposure to the arts. This all changed when I came to Ohio State. It’s where I was exposed to the arts and storytelling and that you can make a living in this field. Especially my time at The Lantern. It was life changing as I was forced to get out of my comfort zone and apply my skills in real-world situations. The Lantern is where I met so many amazing people that I’m still in contact with to this day and prepared me for my future career more than any classroom setting would have. It allowed me to meet all kinds of people and introduce myself to different experiences. Exploring the world and exploring cultures is what I learned at Ohio State since I knew my career path didn’t exist in an office. Ohio State opened me up to the world in more ways than I could imagine.
If you could do it all over again, would you have any changes?
I mean, there’s a lot of things I would do differently. I probably would have taken a foreign language more seriously. That’s something I would have focused more on. I think I would surround myself with people that encouraged me and motivated me with like-minded goals. I’d also try to get to know my teachers better and take classes outside of my expertise. Looking back, I’d attend more campus events because I didn’t really take advantage of what the college and departments had to offer.
As Arts and Sciences students are planning and thinking about their career paths, what advice would you give them?
My suggestion to them is to expose yourself to things outside the classroom because that’s where you’re going to be introduced to real-world situations and interactions. Outside the classroom is when you develop your work, make connections and learn to function as a professional. I’m a college professor and I want my students to struggle and fail in the classroom since we can work together to solve those issues. That said, I encourage all students to seek out experiences for skill development in shaping their future. Students need to pursue internships, fellowships, apprenticeships, volunteer work or even professional job shadowing. Columbus and Ohio State have so much to offer, and students that seek out real life experiences will benefit immensely.
How can students make this year a success?
I would say learning to read and write better because those are skills you will always need. Writing is the first way we contact people and once I improved my writing skills it changed my career. I want students to remember that their initial perspective and original ideas are the most important parts of writing and storytelling. I just want to say that I’m proud to be from Ohio and find pride in representing Ohio State. The Ohio State community goes well beyond Ohio, and it’s cool to find a sense of community even when you’re away.