CHANGE AMERICA SCHOLARSHIP - FILM and Television major

The prompt for this scholarship is -

how do you intend to change America with your major?

I've been trying to explain my train of thoughts but I don't know if what I've written does it justice. Also, the limit is 200 words and I currently have 233 words written.

As a Film and Television major, I plan on using my degree to create films and documentaries highlighting various events and difficulties America is facing. We are currently living in the age of social media and rapid access to news, but there are still so many in this country that are not aware of the numerous hardships that are occurring right now.

I have always been interested in journalism, but I never saw myself as a journalist. I was always behind the camera, never in front of it. I intend on gathering a team someday who will follow me all throughout the country to record and document an assortment of matters such as drugs, the education system, corruption, and much more. It saddens me how issues like the ones listed are usually well known, but not a lot of people have the time to research further into them. I aim to make that my job, to spend countless of hours researching and filming certain subjects to make sure this information is readily available to everyone at any time.

I truly feel that film is a powerful visual art that has the ability to completely alter the way people view the world around them and if I can manage to influence a single person to stand up and make a difference after viewing a film or documentary of mine, then I will be happy.

Sasha, you will not have the ability to change all of the problems that America is facing. Regardless of your good heart and willingness to portray all of the problems on film, you won't be able to enact any real changes by trying to take on all of the problems the country faces. As a film journalist / documentary film maker, you should choose an advocacy to represent through your film work. Will you try to change the American mindset regarding climate change? Or maybe you will want to try to unite the country as simply a single nation, regardless of political party affiliation? Address the problems of immigration in the country and how to solve it? These are some major problems that the country currently faces, sans a solution. Your job, as the scholarship applicant, is to choose the cause closest to your heart. Just one cause, and discuss the possible way that film making will be able to help you address the problem and then present a simple solution or create the foundation for a solution to the problem that you have chosen to represent. That is how you will manage to change America. Choose the problem, just one, then think of how film making can help to resolve the issue. Either through educating the viewer or piecing together the highlights of your film into a possible solution to present for the consideration of the viewing public. This isn't just about assembling a film crew, shooting a few scenes, editing it, then presenting it to the public. You are not being asked to present the nightly news. You are being asked to present a possible solution to a problem that can be possibly resolved through film journalism.

I agree with Holt. You should stick to one specific cause that is very meaningful to you and talk about it and how you want to fix that problem that America faces today like maybe corruption or whichever one you choose.