Journalist and aspiring filmmaker Alva French reports from the opening panel of "Sustaining a Career as a Public Media Maker," a day-long summit held at POV.

POV recently hosted IDA's Doc U on the Road to examine the question "Can Your Doc Really Change the World?" with a panel of documentary heavyweights.

Alejandra Gama of Goodyear, Ariz., is one of 22 teens awarded a Project VoiceScape filmmaking grant this year. Her film Right To Be An American, which documents the struggles of children of illegal immigrants in her home state, is now in production under the mentorship of Almudena Carracedo (Emmy winner Made in L.A.).