Best of the Week 2022-2023: Teaching to the Future

FILM TEACHER STARTS ST. ED'S VERY OWN "HUMANS OF ST. EDWARD"

For those unfamiliar with the popular photography project, "Humans of New York" captures the perspectives of the people of New York City and tell their stories on a shared platform with the world. Film teacher Will Fistek took inspiration from this project to make his own "Humans of St. Edward" and has his freshmen filmmakers in his Introduction to Visual Storytelling assisting in sharing the stories of St. Ed's faculty and staff with the community. "The whole concept revolves around the concept of meeting new people, photographing them, and being able to share their stories," says Mr. Fistek. "Even though our faculty and staff are professionals, I think it's really important that we, especially our students, realize that everyone in our community is in this thing together. While our students might have good days and bad days, the same goes for our adults and I think that is the biggest takeaway from this experience...that we are all human."

Prior to conducting each interview, student filmmakers take the time to plan their questions and be thoughtful enough to best understand the true human behind the person they are interviewing. "I really enjoy seeing my students plan for and then produce these videos, and the fact that these guys take extra pride in their work sharing the stories of their mentors and knowing they will be viewed by the community is something really awesome," says Mr. Fistek. Click here to watch the latest "Humans of St. Edward" videos.