ALUMNI REFLECTIONS
There was a need 20 years ago to give a platform for youth voice and the need is just as urgent today. As we commemorate 20 years, our alumni are here to celebrate with us. Here’s what they have to say:
Charday Hall delivers a powerful statement about youth voice in this performance / poem dedicated to her grandmother (2011).
“I started at Wide Angle when you guys were just one year old. I think my time there lasted close to ten years! …Wide Angle holds a very sacred spot in my heart because I grew so much and formed life long friendships and relationships. Gin and Sue are definitely like members of my family. I have so many favorite memories but I narrowed it down to three. The first one would have to be when I won an award for my video project called Youth Soul. That was exciting. I got to stay in my first hotel suite by myself…The second, would be the many events that we hosted. I learned so much about coordinating and leading and organizing, which are skills that I have definitely taken into adulthood. And the third would have to be when I gave birth to my son back in 2011. I told Gin and Sue I said, ‘If you guys are still around when Preston is eligible to join count him in. And in the spring of 2021, he will be eligible and you guys are still around. So I look forward to wearing the hat of parent and making many many more memories with you all. I absolutely love and adore this organization. I love the people who continue to allow this organization to be in existence…”
Charday Hall
Former MVP Student, BSO Instructor, GSO Camp Leader, Assistant Grant Writer
Cody Dorsey interviewing an MTA bus operator as research for the Attendance and Design Team’s Rate Your Ride Project (2012).
“You all gave an excellent opportunity to this young boy from West Baltimore and so what I know for sure is that when you all work young people who will eventually become adults, who will eventually start families of their own, not only do you change the trajectory of that young person’s life, you change the trajectory of community, of a city. And so I am back in Baltimore from Dublin, Ireland where I just earned my masters degree in Political Science. Glad to be back home and from my personal experience, you all not only gave me more leadership opportunities but, now that I have a world-wide view of things I know that you’ve not only improved Baltimore you’ve helped improve our state, America, and the world. Because your participants go all over the world with the knowledge and the tools that you’ve given them…”
Cody Dorsey
Design Team Student Alum
MTA Rate Your Ride Project
Mentoring Video Project student D’Andre Guess taking pictures in class (2011).
“I started with your program in 2011 and from there I realized I had a love for creativity and art. I was able to create a career out of that and I’m really happy that I found that with you guys. Right now in my career I’m living in Seattle, Washington. I have a job working as a Web Developer working for a really cool company. And I have to say that everything that I have right now, everything that I thought I could do, definitely started when I started working with Wide Angle Youth Media. It was my first job that had to do with design and creativity and I’m really glad that you guys helped me see that I could do that as a full time job as an adult after college. So I really thank you guys for that. And anyone else who’s [reading] this, you can do it too.“
D’Andre Guess
Mentoring Video Project (MVP) Student Alum
The celebration is far from over… Will you champion the next 20 years of youth-driven, representative media?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hannah Shaw is the Communications Specialist at WAYM. She is a multidisciplinary designer and received her BS in Marketing from UMD and MA in Social Design from MICA.