When Rachel first started at Middlesex, she had vague ideas of what she might be interested in doing, such as art, working with animals, and filmmaking. She took Intro to Digital Arts her second semester, and this began her love for digital media. Intro to Digital Arts was great because she used the principles that she learned in that class every day. She continued to take more multimedia classes and realized that her interest kept growing. Rachel really enjoyed Animation, and one of her favorite classes was Digital Cinematography. Advanced Editing, was also among her favorites. She learned a lot from the art classes she took with really amazing instructors. Her professors always helped and guided her whenever she needed it. She knew they genuinely care.

Rachel worked with Professor Rick Erikson and another student on the Hammonasset Nature Center project, designing and laying out info graphics and interactive touchscreens. She received a lot of support and inspiration from her fellow students with her projects over the years. Especially members of the Film Making Club. She designed posters for the club, and designed a poster which was chosen for the 12th Arts and Media Festival. Her final project from her multimedia class was showcased on the Center for New Media’s gallery webpage. Rachel graduated with a 4.00 GPA, and she was a member of the honor society.

Although Rachel received a Multimedia associate degree, film is what she thinks she’s most passionate about. Rachel is planning to take more of the Film and Cinema classes after she graduates. She hopes to get a job as a graphic designer/multimedia specialist. At the present time, Rachel does not have any plans to transfer to a four-year college, but she is considering going to Word of Life Bible Institute in New York for a year. Long-term, her plans are to eventually get into the film industry.

Rachel feels very grateful for attending Middlesex. “I honestly can’t imagine a better school to attend coming out of high school, not knowing what I wanted to do with my life. I learned to never settle for mediocre, because I am capable of so much more, now more than ever, thanks to these amazing people,” she said.

Rachel also has been dancing for 18 years, doing ballet, lyrical and contemporary dance. For the past several years, Rachel has been teaching a few classes at a dance studio in her spare time.

Check out Rachel’s project here.