Sometime in mid-September, I received a flyer in my mailbox to share my journey for a chance to win an iPad. The video contest invited people to make a movie about how they came to Biola. Although videos may not necessarily be my thing, I thought it would be really fun to make a stop-motion video. I planned out some of the photo sequences, but never got around to shooting them.
The video was due on YouTube at midnight on Sunday, October 31st. A few days before, I looked and found that there were no entrants for the contest. I didn’t have too much work to do that weekend, so I decided to put together the video that I had been planning. I asked Sarah if she would be willing to help me in some different ways. She was more than happy to do so.
I worked on it basically all of Saturday and Sunday. I wrote a script, and recorded the narration line-by-line in Garage Band. I then had to export the tracks to iTunes. That was one of the most tedious parts of the project. I shot a lot of the photos in Madeline’s room, because the set-up of her room was easier to work with than mine. Sarah helped me with getting good angles, making sure the shots were working, and putting together the background music in Garage Band.
After a lot of work and nearly 500 photos, I ended with the three minute video that you see below. My favorite part of the video is the ending. I posted the video less than 2 hours before the deadline.
I was pretty excited about the end project, but it’s far from perfect. Every time I watch it, I see something that I wish I had fixed. But hey, these things happen.
From there, I needed to get as many views as I could. I promoted it on my facebook, and my dad (a high school teacher) even told his students to watch it. When the viewing period ending, there were three days when people could vote for a video outside of the caf. I encouraged people to watch the videos and vote for mine. It was really encouraging when people told me how much they liked my video and that they voted for me. Once voting ended, the waiting began.
Well, the day before Thanksgiving break, I received an e-mail that said I had won. I was sitting outside of Common Grounds with a few friends when I got the message, and I had a little bit of an outburst. I was crazy excited. I texted some of my friends and told them, along with my parents and my siblings. I would be able to pick up my iPad once the order arrived.
But the excitement didn’t stop there. Over break, I had a phone interview with a writer from The Chimes, our campus newspaper, for an article that would be in the next issue. That next week, I met with a photographer who took a picture for the article. If you’re curious, you can read the article here.
That same week, I received an e-mail from a lady that worked with the Alum Association. She told me that she had seen the article and my video on The Chimes online and had loved it. She asked if I would be interested in having my video played and answering a few questions at a dinner they were having on December 4th. I replied and told her that I would love to do so.
The next day she called me to give me the specifics of the event. The President’s Circle dinner would be for alum and others that donate money to Biola, specifically for student aid. I informed her that I was a recipient of academic and need-based financial aid from Biola, and she said that was exactly what they were looking for. She then told me that for the dinner they would play my video and then invited me on stage to be interviewed by Dr. Corey. I was stoked. She asked me if speaking in front of nearly 500 people would be a problem for me. I almost laughed as I told her that crowds don’t bother me at all. I met with her in her office later that week, where she gave me the questions that I would be asked.
So the night came. I dressed in my favorite black dress and black heels, wearing jewelry that my mom had made me. I was assigned to table number two, one of the five head tables, and right next to DBC’s table. Before too many people were there, I snapped this picture of how fantastic everything looked:
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| I could hardly believe I was in the gym. |
The others sitting at table two were big-time Biola donors and alum, along with the Biola VP and his wife. She was sitting right next to me, so I talked to her a lot. She asked me about my family and about Minnesota—two of my favorite things to talk about. The dinner was delicious, as was the dessert. I love cheesecake. After dishes were cleared, DBC came on stage and gave a great address regarding Biola and its future. He then began to talk about me.
He introduced the crowd to a freshman named Olivia Blinn, coming from a small town in Minnesota. He talked a little about my family and my background. He said that the Integrated Marking Committee had hosting a video contest, inviting students to share their story, and that here was the winning video.
My video then began to play. On two giant screens. In front of almost 500 people. So awesome.
When it was over, DBC said that he had heard a rumor that I was there with them, and he invited me on stage. He asked me what had stood out to me about Biola, what kind of obstacles I had to overcome to come to Biola, and how Biola would prepare me for my future. When I told them about the challenges I had to overcome, I told them about being able to cancel my loans because of the generous aid I received from Biola. Before I could even finish my “praise the Lord,” I got a round of applause.
Finally, he told me that I represent a large number of students that receive financial aid, and asked if there was anything that I would like to say to the crowd on their behalf. I told them that, first and foremost, I needed to give a huge, resounding thank you. They are the answers to student’s prayers, especially when it comes to figuring out how they’re going to pay for a private school education. They were the answer to my prayers.
I then made my way back to my seat, and DBC closed off as we headed into an intermission. I headed to the bathroom, and multiple people complimented me on my video and thanked me for speaking. It was incredibly humbling.
When the program resumed, the chorale and orchestra performed excerpts from Handel’s Messiah. At the very end of the program, I met Mrs. Corey, as well as a number of other people. I received even more handshakes and thank you’s than before. Here I was, a nineteen-year-old girl, speaking to a group of nearly 500 people—some of them three or four times my age—and here they were thanking me for sharing my story. I’ve never experienced anything like that.
Just before I left, I found DBC, and asked him for a picture. I thanked him for allowing me to be a part of the night, and he thanked me for speaking. He told me I did a great job, and that everyone had enjoyed it. I was thrilled.
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| Me and DBC! |
An article about the event that night can be found here.
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