Student Blog: The Media Institute of Social Change
Still frame taken from Black In Blue
Last summer I was accepted into a summer program by the Media Institute of Social Change. I was really excited to take part in this program because it enriched my passion for media with purpose in a program aimed to inspire students to learn to bring about social change through media.
My first project was a short audio documentary on a nonprofit organization in Portland, Oregon, called Meals on Wheels. The second project I produced was a short documentary film called Black in Blue, which tells the story of Portland's first African-American female police officer as she discusses the tension between her role in law enforcement and social activism. I partnered with one of the other students in making this video in the wake of the shootings that took place over the summer. What I value the most from this experience is that it gave me a glimpse at what a career in media and film would be like. I now know which stages of production I am best suited to do and which stages I am most interested in. This knowledge has helped to guide my studies on my return to Skidmore and influenced my decision to pursue a self-determined major in media and film studies. You can read her blog post written at the beginning of production here.
—Sindi Mafico '19
