Why SUNY Oneonta?
I came to SUNY Oneonta undecided about my major, and this was one of the only two schools I toured. I honestly don't know whether it was the tour guide or the campus, but I turned to my mom at the end of the tour and said, “This is where I'm going to go.” It just felt very right to me. I felt extremely comfortable with where I was.
Why Media Studies?
I never wanted to be a Media Studies major until I joined WIRE-TV. I always knew that I had a hobby in making videos and editing and all that stuff, but that is all it was at first. The minute that I walked into the TV studio, I felt very scared, but also comfortable with where I was. I felt this overwhelming passion and knew this is what I want to do. This is what I want to be.
What is WIRE-TV?
WIRE-TV is a student TV production club on campus where we make a bunch of shows ranging from broadcasting to silly ones like On Campus, which is like Billy on the Street. It allows students to learn the media industry a little bit more on and off camera.
My role this year is president. I schedule show times. I work wherever we need work to be done. If anybody has a question, I'm there. I'm there to teach. I'm there to be responsible for everything that happens in all these studios.
Favorite Classes?
I think my favorite class has been Video Production because you get to do a lot of hands-on stuff, you get to make creative videos as well as editing, which is really fun to me. A professor who has helped me a lot is Chelsea McCracken. She is the sweetest professor ever, and she teaches very well. I think that she has taught me a lot that I needed to know in this industry and in this major.
I feel like some of the hands-on classes, like Video Production and Audio Production definitely give you a more in-depth way of learning. I also think doing independent stuff on campus really helps. The fact that we can rent equipment here is really fortunate. We don't have to buy these thousand-dollar cameras and other equipment.
Dream Job?
I want to work in film or TV, and anything to do with producing, directing or editing would be amazing. I always think about staying here because that's where I'm from, but with media, it's hard. I’ll likely have to be in New York City or on the West Coast in California.