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2026 Bachelor of Arts, Combined Honours in Contemporary Studies and Cinema and Media Studies,ÌýKing's College University

Q:Tell us a bit about life before university.
A: I grew up in St. John’s, Newfoundland, with three younger siblings, and a near obsessive interest in the arts. I have been dancing for as long as I can remember, and really loved Golden Age movie musicals. In high school, did a lot of improv theatre and a couple of plays, eventually directing a play in grade 12. I also took my first film class, and absolutely loved it. That was a real turning point.

Q:What led you to your major
A: I have always been interested in film, watching movies, thinking about how they work and all of the moving parts. As a kid, I loved learning about all of the different people involved in filmmaking, and I think that learning about what film sets looked like in different time periods helped me to conceptualize history. When I did the Foundation Year Program at King’s, I found myself really engaging with texts from the twentieth century, and I realized it was because that period overlapped with the history of cinema. I started taking Cinema and Media Studies electives, and quickly realized this was what I was meant to study all along.Ìý

Q:What is a memory from your first year that brings you joy?
A: One of the first friends I made at university (who remains one of my best friends today) would come to my dorm room and watch movies. We exchanged favourites: I watched Harold and Maude for the first time, and she watched Head for the first time. She immediately understood what I liked about Head, and kind of helped me articulate what that was. It was really special to share that with someone.Ìý

Q: Describe a difficulty you've overcome.
A: As a performing arts student, I am constantly confronting my own anxieties and insecurities. Leading projects, public speaking, even taking my artistic voice seriously…it’s all about standing firmly on the earth and trusting yourself. Looking back at my degree, I’m proud of how confident I have become.

Q: Tell me about a big accomplishment during your time here
A: I have been an executive member of the HÂþ»­ Cinema and Media Studies Society ) since 2024, which has involved hosting film screenings and overseeing film production. Using funding from several organizations within HÂþ»­, the Society produces several short films per schoolyear, all made by students. This year, as co-president, I got to meet new students and watch them develop ideas and learn about filmmaking. Working on their films, as well as my own, takes up a lot of my time outside of class, and watching everyone’s final products is really gratifying.Ìý

Q: How has the HÂþ»­'s Cinema and Media Studies program helped you succeed as a student?Ìý
A: Because the program is relatively small, the faculty is quite tightknit, and it really feels like you are engaging with several interconnected streams of thought. I love getting to really know my instructors, and seeing where their ideas overlap.Ìý

Q: Favourite class/ faculty while here and why.
A: Several amazing classes come to mind, but I’ll focus on one to avoid listing every available CMS class: Kevin Chabot’s Film Theory course, which I took in my third year. Each week, we were given a theoretical framework to apply to a new film, so there was a weekly screening and tons of theory readings, all of which I printed out and return to often. To put it bluntly: Dr. Chabot is very cool, and made film theory feel really cool.ÌýÌý

Q: How did the program arm you with the practical skills you'll need to start your career?
A: As an aspiring filmmaker, I’m really grateful for both the theoretical background the program has given me and the production experience that the Fountain School of Performing Arts has facilitated. The film analysis skills I developed will help me to understand the films I love and inform the films I want to make.

In my fourth year, I was able to apprentice as a trainee in ’s Film 5 program through the Fountain School, which gave me experience working on a short film set here in Halifax. There are also basic practical skills taught in CMS classes too– Dr. Gray does a sound recording workshop in Sound in Cinema, and Dr. Brownlee teaches stop motion animation basics in their Animated Film class. Any time that we get to focus on the logistics of filmmaking, I fall in love with it all over again.

Q: Most rewarding part of your time here at HÂþ»­?
A: Aside from being able to feel my analysis get sharper and my writing get better, which I think is a product of lots of work and really patient instructors, creating a community at the Fountain School has been really rewarding. Moulding the Society into a place where people are constantly learning from each other and collaborating on ideas was really magical.Ìý

Q: What's your dream job?
A: I would love to be a cinematographer. Specifically, I want to work on independent Canadian films. I am really passionate about camerawork, but I also want to tell Canadian stories, and use the medium of film to ask questions about this land and its cultures.Ìý

Q: What's next for you?
A: Immediately, I am going to my parents’ house to watch movies with my siblings and nap on the couch for a few days. Following that, I’m going to spend the summer in Saskatchewan, working on a documentary film project. Then, I’ll be back in Nova Scotia, directing two short films in the fall, and hopefully working on many more after that.Ìý

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