This is one of a series of profiles featuring the DAC Capstone cohort of Spring 2020.
For as long as I can remember sports has always been a part of my life, my parents were collegiate athletes, I was a multi-sport athlete for most of my life. It wasn’t until late middle school that I started to have an interest in computer, gaming, music, and other subjects. After sophomore year of high school, I realized I did not have much time in the sports world left (knowing that coaches did not want an athlete that wore glasses on their teams), I had to find a hobby that I can get a job with.
I was not a fan of the main subjects in school (math, science, English etc.) and I never really explored colleges that had majors with paths that I found an interest in, I applied to college that were in state and had some options that I found interesting. I came to UW-Milwaukee because I was able to land a job and my connection in sports allowed me to reconnect with old teammates as the student manager of the men’s soccer team here. I felt that I the job would come with great work experience and let me still connect with the game of soccer, working with the team helped me figure out my skills in the workplace.
I did not come right away but after a while working with the team and talking with my advisor, I was able to come across the Digital Arts and Culture program. I was intending on going into the Film program at UWM but decided that Film was not the right program for me as I was interested more in making short comedic videos and reviewing films then traditional filmmaking. I maintained an interest in film by making film studies my minor but decided that DAC (Digital Arts and Culture) was the program for me.
I still do not have a set definition or way of describing the program, but I would say it’s a program for people who want to create videos, art, or other forms of media. Knowing that there are many ways of creating media the program teaches students basic ways to do so and additionally you will always have to learn new ways of making media and that school is there to prepare you how either find ways to explore your strengths. The program helps people find their strength and helps them find careers or jobs that could allow people to create media and hopefully find a job they feel comfortable doing.
The program helped me figure out my strength in camera work, video editing, media writing, and other design work. I was able to find an internship that give me an insight into possible jobs that can be achievable with the skills I have. I do not have a set dream job I want to achieve but I rather want to find a job that I can enjoy the work I put into it. I was able to expand my hobbies and hope that in my last semesters at school I can produce some projects that I am proud of and the work I put into these pieces ready me for life after college.
Some projects that I am working on right now are animations for local sports team I work with over the summer, the meaning behinds these animations fit simply with the sports they are for but the creating of the animations and finding out how other people make them to me goes a long way in expanding on projects that people publish and how I can put my own mark or spin on the projects.