Here at FIU, our faculty not only works towards ensuring the success of students, but they work to make sure students are provided with the hands-on experience they’ll need in order to be prepared for the future.
Our Worlds Ahead faculty are looking for new ways to be steps ahead when preparing their students for their future careers. Department of Journalism + Media’s Professor Jay Sandhouse is a prime example of a professor that not only wants to see his students succeed but also ensures they’re ready for what comes after graduation.
During the Summer 2019 semester, Professor Sandhouse’s 21 capstone students from DIG 4552: Advanced Multimedia Production were given the semester-long task of creating promotional videos for the FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management as their final project before graduation. This
capstone course covers advanced techniques associated with interactive media production, including design, digital storytelling, usability theory, and current best practices. Students were not only in charge of producing a video but also coordinating with their ‘client’ to create a vision and help bring it to life.
Produced, written, shot and edited by: Eileen Aguilar, Miguel Anyelo, Karen Morales, Jeffrey Steele, and Kimberly Urias. The talent is Linda Terrelonge.
The final project gave the students a little taste of what a “real job is like.” Digital Media student Emily Lago said.
For students like Patricia Machado, it solidified their career plans: “It made me realize that at the end of the day, I’m a creator. It’s what I ultimately want to do with my career. I love creating things out of nothing, and this project was started from scratch. It was such a great experience, and it helped solidify what I’m ultimately meant to do: Create, create, create!”
Outside of her class, Patricia interns as an account manager for a social media and advertising agency and has already applied Professor Sandhouse’s teachings to her daily routine.
Even as a senior ready to graduate, there’s always room for improvement. Patricia not only realized what she wants to do in the future, but she went back to the basics and learned new things, “I learned a lot about pre-production and how vital it is for the success of any project. Once you have your copy points, script, and location scouted and finalized, it’s a much smoother process in the long run.”
The capstone students made five videos featuring different programs the School of Hospitality has to offer, such as the 4+1 program for Hospitality students and its many study abroad programs. Diann Newman, Vice Dean of the Chaplin School for Hospitality called this “a stellar example of interdisciplinary collaboration…”
This joint effort between CARTA’s Department of Journalism + Media students and the School of Hospitality is just another example of the greatness that can be achieved when students and faculty come together to create something bigger than the assignment itself.
According to Professor Sandhouse: “When you love what you do then it’s not work,” which is directly reflected in the words of his student, Patricia: “If I could do it over again, I would in a heartbeat.”
