12 Team 6 – Jai’Shon
Team Jai’Shon conducted the interview of Jai’Shon Berry. They collaborated with Jai’Shon in the pre-production phase of the video, particularly, in the process of framing her story. Team Jai’Shon was then responsible for the production and post-production of the final video.
Cameron Ficca
My name is Cameron Ficca I am a young white man who identifies as cisgender. I use the pronouns he, him, his; I am a first-generation student and grew up in a middle-class family in the north end of Tacoma.
I am a Senior student majoring in Communication. My academic interests revolve around understanding media, how it relates to us in society, and how the relationship between media and culture, especially the sports industry. Also, I have an interest in learning the skills of video production since I know how important it is to be able to have these skills in the communications industry. In this course, I have had the opportunity to learn about story narrative and visual composition, and to learn about the basics of conducting on-camera interviews.
Through the Telling Our Stories project, I have gained a better understanding about how our social identities impact how we experience college, as well as how counter-narratives help us think more deeply about how we define diversity. This class has had an impact on me in that I have seen just how dangerous it is for people to grow up thinking that they don’t have a voice, or that their voice doesn’t matter. Even if people think they have lived a normal life, their story is just as important as someone who has lived the most exciting of lives. I think I will be able to carry the skills I learned in class to other aspects of what I do because storytelling, not only through writing, but through video is becoming more and more prominent. People are always interested in learning about other people, whether that be fellow classmates, or athletes and celebrities in their personal lives. I hope that people who see the video get a better understanding about not only about Jai’Shon and his journey, but that everyone here on campus is on a journey to better themselves, and that the joy of life is in the journey itself.
Andrea Soto
My name is Andrea Soto. I come from Mexican and German descent. I use she, her, hers pronouns and am cisgender. I’m a senior majoring in Arts, Media & Culture. My academic and personal interests involve analyzing storytelling within film, television, literature, and music. I am passionate about all of these forms of media. I also enjoy creating my own stories and characters and hope to do that sort of creative work after graduation.
In this course (TCOM 347), I’ve been given the opportunity to learn video production by doing video production firsthand.
Through the Telling Our Stories project, I’ve gotten to see the challenges and triumphs that can come from having a very diverse background and it’s been inspiring to say the least.
This class has given me the chance to do something that is creative and meaningful. I hope that people will hear these stories and gain some insight into experiences that are different from their own.
Montel Smith
My name is Montel Smith. I am first-generation college student, African American black male, who identifies as cisgender and prefers the use of the pronouns he, him, and his.
Currently, I am a junior majoring in Communication. My academic interest involves all aspects of film and media, and how they impact the human experience. This interest has resulted in me striving to learn as about media production as I can. Through the course of TCOM 347, I have developed a better understanding of what it takes to create, and fine tune story narrative through visual representations from start to finish.
The Telling our Stories project has given me a greater perspective of how our various social identities create a unique college experience for each and everyone one of us. Yet while displaying student’s uniqueness, it also creates a larger sense of interconnectedness as a campus. With our story, I hope that whoever views it is able to take away at least one thing that will help them in accepting themselves and others for who they are.
