I would tell my past self: your perspective matters. by Kamiyah

I would tell my past self: your perspective matters. by Kamiyah - July 2025 Scholarship Essay

In high school, I spent my last three years in a college-level film program. Students came from areas with stronger programs and better resources to help build a future in media. At first, it was exciting. I loved creating storylines, even if they didn’t have a clear message. I enjoyed discovering how editing could add layers of meaning to something simple. But eventually, I began to feel like an outsider.

I was the only one telling stories that didn’t fit the mold, stories that maybe had no obvious point, no "heart," at least by their standards. My peers praised a certain kind of filmmaker, usually white, usually male. I couldn’t connect. These creators never reflected people who looked like me, not on screen, and not behind the scenes. Others brushed it off as history. “Things have changed,” they’d say. But it didn’t feel that way to me.

Even as I transitioned from high school to college, I kept hearing about the same white or problematic films being held up as the best. It was disheartening. But then I enrolled in a visual arts film course in college, and something shifted. Each week, we explored global artists who used video in new and expressive ways. Some used color to convey emotion, others placed their characters in dreamlike, surreal spaces. It reminded me that film didn’t have to follow the same rules or center the same voices.

I would tell my past self: your perspective matters. Don’t be afraid to challenge the narrative. Keep creating your way because your story deserves the spotlight too.