We’ve all had “a-ha” moments. For Margoth Mackey, a junior double majoring in film & media studies and finance, that moment of clarity came amid dwarves clashing swords with orcs and a struggle for power. “I discovered the magic of filmmaking one day when I watched a documentary on how the ‘Lord of the Rings’ was made and I was hooked. I decided from then on I wanted to be a director,” Mackey said. “I loved the idea of telling a story in a way that people could experience, almost like putting my imagination on screen.” Initially, Mackey considered chasing her silver screen dreams at a technical film school in Chicago. As the daughter of two Jayhawk grads however, Mackey decided at the end of her high school career that she wanted to experience all that comes with a KU education and its film & media studies degree.

Wanderlust is real. Travel-related personal goals or “bucket list” items are common; some people want to visit all the U.S. states, or all the continents or all the oceans. Libby Friesen wants to do it all. On her bucket list is the desire to visit every continent, country, state, ocean, sea and bay in the world. “I calculated it and if I visit four to five new places every year I will accomplish this... it's within grasp, I just know it!” Friesen said. Friesen, a senior majoring in global & international studies and minoring in Chinese language, was previously a flight attendant. She remembers frustrating times when no one on board was able to communicate with travelers. “I just want to be a well-informed world citizen so I can bridge gaps and continue to appreciate other cultures throughout the world,” she said.

After applying to a number of universities across the United States, Nazirah Mohd decided to attend KU for the great research programs, friendly atmosphere and the iconic Jayhawk mascot. Mohd, currently a sophomore, spent her freshman year at an international college in her home country of Malaysia before coming to KU as a petroleum engineering major and geology minor. 

“The reason I chose petroleum engineering as my major and geology as my minor is because they're like a twin,” Mohd said. “Having a minor in geology will really help me to distinguish myself from other candidates.” 

If you’ve struggled with deciding on a major, you’re not alone – you’re actually in the majority. About 80 percent of college-bound students don’t settle on a major before coming to campus according to MyMajors.com. With so many options, many of which cover subjects that aren’t taught in high schools, it’s no surprise that most students take some time before committing to a major. “It was easy to choose my French minor because I’d been studying French since I was a freshman in high school, but choosing my major was difficult,” said Justin Evans, junior majoring in anthropology and minoring in French. During his first few semesters at KU, Evans said, he enrolled in a number of courses that deal with the study of humans, such as sociology and linguistics. These courses prompted his passion for exploring questions about the “why” behind human history.

Wanting to provide film students with the opportunity to collaborate and gain experience on film projects, an ambitious and talented film and media studies student has revived the video production club, Filmworks. Savannah Rodgers, an Olathe junior, worked on film projects independently before a desire for collaboration sent her seeking information on the defunct club which led her to like-minded students eager for opportunity. “My freshman year, I wasn’t sure how to find and start making projects with other film students,” Rodgers said.

What started as a high school project turned into five years of work and a self-published novel that’s already in its second printing. Crystal Bradshaw, sophomore majoring in creative writing, discovered through research for an assignment on family history that her great-great-great-great grandmother was part of the exoduster movement that brought former slaves to the Midwest. The book, “Eliza: A Generational Journey,” begins with Eliza’s life as a slave in Kentucky and continues through her journey of emancipation and her life in Jetmore, Kansas, where the Bradshaw family has now lived for 134 years.

As an intern, Melissa Fontana wasn’t making coffee; she was making a difference. Using the interpersonal and communication skills she learned in her classes, Melissa developed meaningful relationships with students supported by the HALO Foundation. 

Hometown: Highland Park, IL 

Major and Minor: Communication studies major, business minor 

Internship title and company: Youth development intern at The HALO Foundation (Helping Art Liberate Orphans), a non-profit based in Kansas City that supports young people in orphanages and learning centers worldwide.

Garrett Farlow spent his summer halfway around the world in Kazakhstan working to help journalists break away from government censorship and playing sports with the National Special Olympics team. Casual. We asked Garrett to tell us all about this incredible experience and how he overcame the intimidation factor of interning overseas. 

Hometown: Tecumseh, KS 

Majors: Journalism, Slavic Language & Literature and Political Science 

Basically spending her summer as Ross Geller, Brittney Oleniacz had the opportunity to intern with the American Museum of Natural History. She got to visit ALL of the exhibits, hold a moon rock and chill with Neil Degrasse Tyson. Excuse us while we geek out a bit. We asked Brittney to tell us all about her intern days. 

Hometown: Phillipsburg, NJ 

Major: Graduate student in Museum Studies 

Internship title and company: Microfossil Intern, American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City 

Balancing the arts and the sciences comes naturally to Natali Diaz-Yepes, a graduating senior double majoring in dance and biology. Diaz-Yepes’ father is a doctor of biology statistics, and she’s been in love with dance since the age of three. This solid foundation in both fields keeps her days interesting and her evenings busy. The last few semesters, she has found herself alternating dance and science classes throughout her days. Many people may find this a challenging switch every couple of hours, but Diaz-Yepes finds it really plays to her strengths. “Whenever I go to one of my biology labs, I seem to approach the experiments very creatively; and when I’m in the dance studio working on choreography, I always rely on very calculated and methodical approaches,” Diaz-Yepes said. Diaz-Yepes finds inspiration in interesting places.

Film & Media Studies interns raise profile of The Nature Conservancy efforts through films A new initiative between KU Film & Media Studies, The Nature Conservancy and ITC served as an opportunity for two talented students and an alumnus to create four informational videos that raise awareness of conservation issues in Kansas. Over the course of 2014, the students completed 10 location shoots at Conservancy properties and project areas around the state and logged more than 50 hours of video footage.

Dividing their time among five locations over four weeks, a group of four KU art students were immersed in the  history and culture of Japan. The students participated in the two major artist residency programs in Japan, MI-LAB and Awagami Factory, where they received hands-on demonstrations from Japanese masters and had time to make their own Japanese paper and prints. Visual art associate professor Yoonmi Nam arranged the trip. She wanted students to interact with and learn from local craftspeople who are working to continue, preserve and appreciate traditional arts and crafts in contemporary Japan.