Guatemala

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Friday, October 15, 2010 | flickr photos

This is a photo story about Guatemala in the sun. I took this trip in July, in the middle of the rainy season, and just before I started grad school at NYU. I', studying Digital Media, a field I chose largely because of what it let's me do--travel, explore, learn.

But I also chose it because I love storytelling and want a career with a purpose. I studied Creative Nonfiction, focusing in long-form narrative at Brown, so writing is under my belt. At NYU, I aim to expand my skill set with video and photography.

The program is very entrepreneurial. It's only three semesters, and they expect me to reach out and learn what I want. I'm comfortable with this; Brown was similar, and my mom was very ill as I grew up, so I learned to be independent. After Brown, I became a freelance writer, social media coach and founded a multimedia philanthropy project, Casseroles for Cancer, that let me retrace a road trip my mom took in 1977, raising money for Ronald McDonald House Charities along the way.

I learned so much, from all of these things, but most of all, I learned that I can only go so far on my own. I've taken photos for my school newspapers, mostly film, but I want to take it to the next level with quality instruction. After NYU, I want to be a multimedia journalist, able to tell stories in the best possible way, and though NYU will do what they can in three semesters, I know I want more. And I'd be honored to start my journey in Bhutan.