Thanks to TigerLily Media, five 小蓝视频 interns viewed Cuban culture last spring through both professional and personal lenses.
鈥淏eing Ecuadorian, I have a strong interest in learning more about other cultures much like my own,鈥� says Anna Tripp, a senior Marine Science major who provided website design and photo and video documentation and editing for team. 鈥淚 knew this internship would require an immense amount of work, time, and discipline but this unique opportunity was a challenge I could never have dreamed of.鈥�
Aquarian, the University鈥檚 student literary arts magazine, selected one of Tripp鈥檚 photos
from the trip, 鈥淩etrospective,鈥� for its 50th edition. The University鈥檚 Office of Research
and Sponsored Programs also decided to display her photo collection, 鈥淐olors of Cuba,鈥�
in its space.
鈥淚t feels incredible to be recognized for my work,鈥� says Anna, who also earned six academic credits for the experience. 鈥淚 cannot express the amount of gratitude I feel towards JU for showing me so much support in my work as an artist and an academic scholar.鈥�
TigerLily Media initiated The Cuba Project almost 14 years ago. The University partnered with TigerLily in 2017 to provide students with a multimedia and documentary film project internship to experience and document Cuba and its culture.
Because the University also participates with the organization (FANJ) to exchange educational information on sustainability and culture between the United States and Cuba, the internship project offered a natural fit. University Cuba Scholar in Residence Vanessa K. Harper and Professor Julie Brannon serve as internship supervisors.
鈥淓xperiences can change you if you have an open mind,鈥� said D鈥橝yn Sayre, a senior
English major who served as content editor, photographer and production assistant.
鈥淭he fact that Cubans are so resilient and resourceful is astounding to me and it鈥檚
really taught me a lot of gratitude that I can鈥檛 completely express.鈥�
Interns immersed themselves in Cuban environmental initiatives during their eight-day visit in Cuba, including visiting FANJ, where they observed sustainability projects. Throughout it all, the student-interns concentrated on documenting their experiences through videos, photos and writing.
鈥淲e all collaborated on the creative concept before leaving for Cuba and took personal photos while we were there,鈥� said Hannah Shami, who is now a production assistant at TigerLily Media and 2019 小蓝视频 alumna. 鈥淲hen we came back, the post-production stage was kick-started, and I worked closely with another intern throughout that process.鈥�
Shami presented her work at the (NCUR) and won a (FAPB) award for her photo essay, 鈥�.鈥�
鈥淚 think they all deserve awards for everything they did,鈥� said Andrew Fallon, Creative Director at TigerLily Media and mentor to interns working on The Cuba Project. 鈥淗aving seen their efforts first-hand, they really dedicated themselves to sharing a unique story of their experience in Cuba.鈥�
