改变maker 沥青马伦 on Her “Thought-Provoking” Experience

策划. 发人深省的. 独特的.

Those are the words 沥青马伦 used to describe her 机遇创造 experience at 英国威廉希尔中文网站. The Class of 2020 student has not only gained experience from her time at UE, 但也找到了新的视角.

A curated path starts by looking back in time

目标是成为一名电影制作人, Mullen chose UE for its affordability and flexible curriculum that would allow her to get hands-on film experience. 追求一个 沟通程度 with a film cognate, she has been able to customize her curriculum to fit her goals.

“一所规模较小的大学, you have more liberties to curate your education to specifically what you'd like to do, 这对我很有吸引力... [I] was able to think outside of the box using the plethora of resources they provided me with and create an education that suited my future career path.”

Her transformative experience was taken even further in the 改变Lab 她大二的时候, where she worked on a cross-disciplinary project telling the story of women nurses from Evansville who participated in the war effort during World War I. Mullen and her fellow students developed a feature-length documentary and a shorter series using interviews, b - roll, 还有档案录像和材料. The videos will be housed in the Evansville Wartime Museum as part of the WWI exhibit as well as on a website that they created.

For Mullen, this was the perfect opportunity to gain film experience.

“As a filmmaker, I was immediately drawn to this project due to its cinematic nature. We were crafting a story through the medium I will pursue after graduation, and I was compelled by the unique narrative. Hearing stories about women from over 100 years ago that originated in the place I was born was fascinating to me - this wasn't something that happened daily.”

在做项目的时候, Mullen collaborated with students across different majors: history, 创意写作, 艺术及其他. Acting as the Visual Director on this large, cross-disciplinary team gave her the confidence and knowledge to pursue bigger projects in the future.

发人深省的 experiences, thousands of miles apart

From a Habitat for Humanity documentary to narrative projects shot in England, Mullen was able to take that confidence and flex her creative muscles in new environments. “UE has incredible study abroad opportunities that I really found value in. I've been able to travel to Guatemala to 拍纪录片 as well as study abroad for a semester at Harlaxton where I also worked on two other film projects.

这部纪录片, The Guatemala Project: A Habitat for Humanity Mission, which she worked on with fellow UE student Amanda Ackerman, 在2019年获得了学生艾美奖. Presented by the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & 科学, there were a record number of entries that year from colleges, universities and high schools across the four-state region for the Student Production Award Competition. The film is also currently a Finalist in the Manchester Lift-Off Film Festival.

Being able to experience these different cultures made her realize that you can use visual media for the common good. Her ideology now is that film is a universal connector within the human experience.

“Whether it is building empathy through a project in an impoverished countryside or creating a connection to the past to share with your community, each endeavor is a milestone in our journey to create a better space to live better lives in.”

A unique perspective on how to effect change

有了这些经历, the 改变maker opportunities at UE have provided a new way of thinking for Mullen and her fellow students, showing them that they can work together, 培养他们的才能, 并在世界上留下自己的印记.

“The 改变maker program has been a great chance to interact with my peers in a meaningful way — making things and putting them out into the world. There's that old saying, ‘nothing changes if nothing changes,' that definitely applies here. We make projects that invite positive change. The impact this school has had on me is to prove to myself and my peers that we can work on things every single day that will make the world a better place. 它告诉我们这是可能的.”

To see all of Mullen's work and follow her filmmaking career, visit breamullen.com.