Name, Major and Minor, Graduation Year:
My name is Alyssa Beebe. I am a Documentary Studies and Production major with a minor in Education Studies, graduating in 2024.
Hometown:
My hometown is a small rural town in Colorado, named Elizabeth. It takes about 5 minutes to drive into and out of the town, which has a population of just over 1,000 residents.
Why am a Documentary Studies and Production major:
I came to Ithaca College as a journalism major with a passion for film.
By the end of my first semester, I learned I could not ignore the creative possibilities of visual storytelling in journalism. The BA in Documentary Studies and Production offered the chance combine artistry and poetics with journalism and storytelling. Doc Studies has been the perfect major for me: I can explore and combine all aspects of film and journalism.
Courses in the major that impacted me:
I started my college career with Introduction to Journalism, which emphasized hands-on fieldwork in journalism with a great introduction to political and multimedia journalism. I fell in love with journalism.
Introduction to Film Aesthetics and Analysis and Nonfiction Production introduced me to new modes and and more international and innovative documentary techniques, which have challenged my preconceptions and changed the way I view the documentary industry and my own productions.
Why I like working as a Course Ambassador for Introduction to Film Aesthetics and Analysis:
I love helping first-year students to engage with rigorous material through drop-in meetings and learning skills sessions.
I have greatly enjoyed seeing students connect with the films and readings as well as the academic discipline of cinema studies as a whole. They transform from high school graduates into college students throughout the semester. I like being part of that process of academic growth.
What I learned as a Course Ambassador:
No matter how many times you watch a film, you learn and notice something new.
As an ambassador, I have re-engaged with those same films, concepts, and histories I worked with when I was a student in the course.
As an ambassador in the class, I have been both a student again as well as an ambassador in class. I have learned how to engage students. I have learned how to get them excited about the material and how to push them to think more deeply about the course material.
Something about me beyond my major:
I love the outdoors and nature. Many of my fellow Doc majors share the same passions. Ithaca College has brought me some of the closest, most loving friends I could ever ask for.