Photos by Daniel Caso
Christine Nelson
Senior Christine Nelson, who works for the Pepperdine Graphic, is a Studio Art and Psychology double major expecting to receive her bachelor’s degrees this April. Coming from an art background and discovering her calling to work with people, she became increasingly interested in pursuing a career that combined these two fields. She has worked on several curatorial projects as an undergrad and showcased her work in various exhibitions. She has also received scholarships from the Art department for the past four years and the 2015 Summer Undergraduate Research Grant, in which her topic of study was explorations in abstraction.
MH: What led you to your field of study/work?
CN: I’ve always been passionate about the arts and curious of their ability to help people. After various volunteer opportunities and internships, I can say with confidence that art is a powerful therapeutic technique. I’ve seen the beautiful ways in which it facilitates communication and bonds when verbal communication is scarce, and full-heartedly believe in its ability to heal and free those who are hurting.
MH: What is your advice to other students in the same field?
CN: Forget about what the world may say. As an art student, I’ve received commentary such as, “Art isn’t a real job,” “You aren’t going to make any money doing art,” and “anybody could do that.” As a Psychology student, I’ve also received commentary regarding the effect of taking on people’s burdens. I’ve learned that commentary such as this only holds you back.
MH: What has the work in your field taught you?
CN: The work in my field has taught me about humility, grace and joy. I currently intern at the Washington Reid Gallery (Culver City, CA), which collaborates with United Cerebral Palsy of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, and I’m constantly humbled by the effortless joy of those who I work with. Even with a complete loss of motor or verbal function, the people I work with have some of the biggest smiles and best attitudes I’ve ever seen. It can be so easy to get caught up in how I want more and feel I must be more, but it’s not until I get away from myself and attempt to walk in another pair of shoes that I truly experience the richness of life.
Lauren Chong
Junior Lauren Chong studies Integrated Marketing Communication. While a freshman, she worked in the Office of Admissions as a tour guide and is now a Resident Adviser for freshmen in Conner House. She recently finished her second season as a choreographer and dancer in the on-campus dance company, Dance In Flight.
MH: What led you to your field of study/work?
LC: My parents signed me up for my first dance class when I was 3 years old, and I’ve been hooked ever since. I grew up training at various dance studios in Orange County, and when I was 11, I was accepted into Debbie Allen’s summer intensive. Working with renowned choreographers, such as Debbie Allen and Tessandra Chavez, and undergoing such intense training at a young age truly helped me decipher whether or not I wanted to pursue dance. Although I planned on attending college as a Dance major, DIF provided me an opportunity to continue dancing while pursuing a degree. For that reason, DIF has been such a gift and I could not imagine not being a part of it.
MH: Is there anything specifically that has inspired you?
LC: My DIF family is constantly inspiring and challenging me to step out of my comfort zone. Since company members stem from different dance backgrounds and training, we are a diverse group, yet thrive off of a mutual passion for dance. Whether it’s exploring a new style or experimenting with an odd concept for choreography, DIF is a safe space for me to make mistakes and plunge wholeheartedly into the creative process … Although performing on stage is a special opportunity, the time our company spends rehearsing, preparing backstage and bonding outside of the studio makes us a family. It truly is an honor to be a part of a company that embraces one another and is celebrated on Pepperdine’s campus.
MH: What has the work in your field taught you?
LC: Pursuing dance is hard work. From such a young age, I learned how critical it is to manage my time, discipline myself and be bold when it comes to self-expression. With a demanding academic load, leadership roles, a daily 45-minute commute and a nine-hour day at school followed by hours of training at my dance studio, my childhood was fulfilling but taxing to say the least. Yet I wouldn’t have had it any other way, because I was forced to mature quickly, and the lessons I learned permeated other aspects of my life.
Mark Wasson
Junior Mark Wasson, double major in Creative Writing and Economics, studied abroad in London during his sophomore year and has served as a George Page Resident Adviser. This summer, he will intern in Washington, D.C. for The Beeck Center for Social Impact & Innovation at Georgetown University. His first novel, titled “Solemn,” is still in production. He is also working on his second novel.
MH: What led you to your field of study/work?
MW: My true passions lie in creative writing. Ever since I was a child, I loved to create stories. My grandma bound together a story I wrote when I was probably about 5 or 6 years old, and I was immediately entranced by the idea of an entire book with my original characters forging their own stories. Where other people may lie awake at night thinking over the things they did that day, I think of stories and characters. There [are] always a repertoire of stories in my mind waiting to get out on the page. I can’t imagine I’ll ever run out of ideas. But I’m an Economics major too, and a lot of people find that combo strange. I guess I’m also one of those people. But I find it fascinating. Economics is, I firmly believe, the way the world operates, the way we make decisions. There’s economics to daily interactions, and the study of how people do things and the way people make decisions certainly affects my daily life and even my writing.
MH: What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of?
MW: Finishing my first novel. I was worried I would become one of the wishful-thinking writers, so I determined to actually write a book, no matter how long it took. I originally set out with a story that wasn’t one of my bigger ones, wasn’t one of the ideas that had been growing in my head for years. My thinking was I would just get it out there to prove to myself that I could write a novel, and then I could get to the really good ideas. I finished the novel at just over 100,000 words and 300 pages, a process which took almost two years. I learned a lot from my mistakes, but I’m also really proud of what I wrote.
MH: What is your advice to other students in the same field?
MW: There are a lot of people out there who want to write for a living. There are fewer people who are willing to pay for what writers come up with. Find something else you are passionate about where there are more opportunities available and be willing to pursue that, but do not let this be a way of giving up. Pursue both at once … Oh, and use the Oxford comma. It exists for a reason, people.
Shamir Fauntleroy
Senior Shamir Fauntleroy is looking to make memorable strides in the music, television and film industries. As an independent artist represented by the stage name, “ShahInfinite,” he has scored multiple student-led projects, accumulated more than 27,000 Soundcloud plays and has a singer-songwriter credit on a NFL Podcast.
MH: Is there anyone/anything specifically in your field that has inspired you?
SF: Professor Craig Detweiler has been my beacon of hope and inspiration at Pepperdine. Professor Dumbledore (as I like to call him) made me feel like less of a taboo subject on campus and embraced my messages and heroes that I resonated most with. He’s shown me proper ways to use my influence through being a living testimony of how to use production for greater good. He’s given me faith in knowing that if I stand on the principles of equality and justice for all, that no weapon formed against me shall prosper. I was inspired to do more about spreading my message here solely by the works of Craig Detweiler. Thank you!
MH: What are your goals for the future?
SF: After graduation, I’m looking to go to the LA Film School for Music Production, which will hopefully help to put me in a better position to make a trade out of my creative works. For me, that could mean making money off of my own independent career or landing a job pertaining to music for a company. Earning a theme song credit on “The R&B Podcast” for the NFL has been my most fulfilling accomplishment in music thus far. Being recognized nationally gives me hope for the future. More so, as a kid, I found that a lot of my counterparts all wanted to go to the NBA and/or the NFL. I just wanted to do music. Today I can say that my talent helped me to “play” in the NFL, something that not many can say.
MH: What is your advice to other students in the same field?
SF: If you have a vision that only you are in tune with and it’s something that only you can see, you’re not the crazy one. We’re the ones living by the standards of what’s put out in front of us. We’re the crazy ones! Don’t be discouraged when people don’t see your dream initially. You have the burden of proof, and I encourage you to see it through so that we may all bask in your greatness. Please.
David Hutchinson
Senior Media Production major and developing filmmaker David Hutchinson has won Reelstories Film Festival for the past two years with “Behind the Faces” in 2015 (grand prize and audience choice) and “How Far I Want to Go” in 2016 (grand prize, audience choice and best director). He has been a cast member in Dance In Flight for two years and was also this year’s DIF film director, creating and executing a series of short films for the production. He freelances wedding videography, music video production and corporate/nonprofit video work, including a plethora of videos for Pepperdine. His website is davidhutchinsonmedia.com.
MH: What are your goals for the future?
DH: I love film’s potential to spread empathy, and I really want to figure out how to make a living by using the medium for that purpose, ideally outside the Hollywood studio system. I want to work hard, but I also want to find a way to balance professional success with spiritual, relational and physical health. I’ve seen and heard how the industry can consume people, and I want to avoid going the same way if I can.
MH: What is your advice to other students in the same field?
DH: Honestly, if a hair-brained, outlandish idea for a project comes into your head, just do it. Don’t be afraid — if the project can accomplish something good for the world, if it serves others, you will find people willing to help you accomplish it. … Our school has so many resources available to help you take off. And while you’re accomplishing all this stuff, remember not to fall into the trap of defining yourself by the things you make. We may be filmmakers, but that can’t be the primary way we identify ourselves. We’ve got to focus on loving, exploring, serving, being human and allow our experiences to flow into our art. Maybe that’s pretentious of me, but I think art needs to be about life. Art about art is usually stagnant.
MH: What has the work in your field taught you?
DH: At this point, I’d say documentary has become my primary medium, and I continue to work with it because I believe it teaches me to love better. Specifically, it makes me a better listener. My first doc addressed the issue of loneliness among undergraduates, specifically at Pepperdine, and in the process of making it, I did a series of one-hour interviews with 25 students to get a range of perspectives on the topic. I listened to the recording of every one of those interviews at least twice, searching for common threads and ideas, and when I finally chose interviews to focus on in the film, I listened to each of those at least four more times. It’s amazing — when we listen to someone in a normal conversation, we miss at least half of the meaning behind what they’re saying. When you hear their words over and over again, you begin to perceive where they’re coming from and what they really mean, and you can’t help but love them more for it. I think film’s highest calling is to help the audience to experience a piece of that love.
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Follow Madison Harwell on Twitter: @mad_har
