My Nonprofit Reviews

I first developed my love of film in 2004. As immature as I felt at that age,there is one thing that has never left me from that year: how much MAPS helped me develop my skills, strategy and an ever growing love for the motion picture, and Media Arts in general. I then graduated from high school and managed to attend Montana State University, Bozeman to further pursue my love of film. My freshman year, I was granted the opportunity to teach Media Arts classes at the Bozeman Boys and Girls Club. It was there that I got to interact and share what knowledge I had of film and social media with the youth of Bozeman. It was there that I learned that MAPS and institutions like it have a vital role in informing our youth of the secrets and motives of media as well as film. In life, there are always going to be stories told, whether they are made up or true. However, by teaching young individuals to tell the difference and decipher for themselves what they think to be true and false is both a blessing a curse. A person should always be given the option to choose for themselves, which is what I was taught to do. What I loved about MAPS the most was the creative skyline- the opportunity to make a story into reality and to work together as a team to ultimately approach an entertaining and liberating product for all to enjoy. What I wish I had done differently when involved with MAPS was work harder to make it a more statewide and recognized facility, and perhaps try harder for more funding because it would have been worth it in the town of Bozeman and probably all of Montana. Having said that, I would like to share a more personal story that I don't think many can say they have had the honor of experiencing. I was 18 years old when I came to Bozeman and first started teaching classes. If teaching is a word I can use loosely, I will, simply because I myself was quite inexperienced on instructing others how to splice Final Cut Pro frames. In all of my mediocre, and stumbled through lessons, there was one person who seemed to have an affinity to film, just like myself. He was a great artist, loved to laugh, and overall enjoyed the sheer company of those who loved to make movies. However, he and the other kids did not share something in common- the rest of them did not have autism. He was one of the only kids who ever came on time, came every time, and put forth all of his effort EVERY TIME. He was dedicated, he was challenged, and he persevered because he was so passionate and so enamored with making films that even his own mental disability could not stop him. I share this story simply because I would like to see most of us in our normal mind even try to make our dreams come true, even if we think we can not. And with MAPS, I think it could be possible, and with MAPS, it is possible.

More Feedback