Find the story within the frame. These are words former Creative Director Peyton Mckenzie said in his senior sendoff that I have lived by since the end of my freshman year.
When I came into Quinnipiac as a freshman I thought I had my story figured out. I knew how everything was gonna play out from day one because that’s how I scripted it out to be. Yet as the days went by, my script was burnt up in flames, and I couldn’t be happier.
In order to truly appreciate my story here at Quinnipiac, I want to go through some of the best moments of my college tenure and the amazing people I have met along the way.
One of my most memorable moments with the Chronicle is covering the Quinnipiac men’s basketball game against Fairfield in my freshman year. I was able to cover that game with Peyton Mckenzie and former Photography Editor Aiden Sheedy who were both seniors at the time. Obviously, they were a lot better than me when it came to photography, so being able to make them impressed with the shot I got of Amarri Monroe hitting a buzzer beater made me feel like I was taking the right steps in order to be as good as them one day.
I can’t pick a specific one, so I’m gonna go with all of my 24-hour film challenge experiences. There’s something about the stress of making an entire short film from scratch in such a short amount of time that is so addicting to me. Not only that, but the memories I have made with friends each time we do it. From running around Tator Hall at 4 a.m., to staining the upstairs CCE carpet, to going back to back Sophomore and Junior year. These experiences have helped me grow as a filmmaker and have taught me how to adapt in crunch time.
Being able to shoot and edit Chron 60 and Chron’s Quad has also been a highlight of mine. Recording multiple takes with former Marketing Director Emily Adorno, former Social Media Editor Lis McMahon and James Nolan was such a blessing since I was able to do it with people I’ve known since freshman year.
All of these experiences and wonderful people I have met along the way have shaped me for who I am today. Combining this with what Peyton once told me, maybe my story can’t fit in just a single frame, instead it’s more than that.
My story isn’t limited to my academic achievements, it goes above and beyond that. It contains late night walks around Mountainview and receiving over a hundred noise complaints. Playing Wii golf with Ben Busillo in the common room till midnight. It includes making a mini hoop basketball league in my tiny Larson common room.
A lot of people reminisce and regret things they should have done differently, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Instead, my unscripted frame is perfect. No structure, lots of work, lots of laughs, and lots of drama. It took me a while to finally understand that the way to live the college experience is without structure. Without that structure may come a lot of failure and hardship, but where people see hardship, I seek opportunity.
