During my final semester at Ithaca College I was presented with the challenge of creating an entire documentary in just 14 short weeks. During those 14 weeks I learned more about myself, editing, filmmaking, Ithaca, and several individuals than I could have ever imagined possible. 

​

The title of my documentary is A Place Where I Belong, and it focuses on the small Special Olympics branch of Ithaca. My initial interest sparked when I heard about the Polar Plunge that is done in Ithaca every winter. I thought it would be an awesome event to cover, and I became even more interested when I learned that it was a fundraiser for Special Olympics, an organization I had also worked with in high school. Once my production partner and I began speaking to individuals involved with the program, it became clear that there was so much more to this story than just this event. 

​

I could never thank the members of the Southern Tier Region of Special Olympics enough. The kind souls and positive attitudes of both the coaches and athletes are beyond contagious and amazing to be in the presence of. Some of my fondest memories from the semester are from events I attended with the program; I appreciate the time and openness they all gave to this documentary so much.

​

Throughout the semester, we were required to submit a series of rough cuts of our documentary which we would play in front of our professor and classmates. We would then receive feedback consisting of suggestions on how to improve as well as pointing out any errors we may have overlooked. While doing this, I learned the true value of constructive criticism and how much you can improve from mistakes.

​

​

​