Week 2 Exploration: Storyboard

By John Brim0004647861

Before I started the MCBS program, I had no real sense of direction in my life.

My first attempt at college ended in disaster, and I had to move back in with my parents.

I got married,

got divorced,

went bankrupt,

and was working at a movie theater barely scraping by.

I had always thought I wanted to be a software engineer.

My dad and cousin, who I am closest to, are both code monkeys; and I grew up in a household where technology was king, so I

figured that this would be a good fit for me.

But then, I learned that I had no desire to do Calculus.

I tried a few times, but apparently I am just not meant to understand theoretical mathematics.

I mean, what happens if I learn it, and then in forty years we find out it was wrong all along?

I’d be angry, and I’m not green but you won’t like me when I’m angry.

Because of that, I started searching for what I really wanted to do.

I started college again at Enterprise State Community College, and while I was there I met the woman who would change my

life.

I was still going through the motions with school, and had no idea what I wanted to do.

Kathy Pattie, my American Literature teacher, took me under her wing.

She helped me to not only find a purpose for my life, but showed me my strengths and helped me find my passion.

Because of that, I learned that I had a passion for literature.

Stories are not just ways to escape, but are a very effective form of communication across the generations.

I’ve always loved to read and write, and have a great imagination; but I fell in love with the craft of story telling.

Because of that, I knew that I wanted to do something that tells stories for a living.

I love literature enough that I got my favorite story tattooed on my arm: Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. 

So now I knew what I wanted to do, but I didn’t know where to go.

I had tried my hand at UAB before, and I decided to go back to finish what I had started.

I moved to Birmingham, found work, and prepared to start school again.

This was the time that UAB decided to tell me that I couldn’t get financial aid from them, even though my cumulative GPA was a

3.0 and met their requirements.

I said some choice words to them, and found myself back at square one.

I searched for schools, and kept seeing ads for Full Sail on TV.

I decided to look up some information on the school, and see what they had to offer; until finally I called the school.

The lady that I talked to in Admissions helped me to open my eyes beyond just standard literature to media communications.

I can read, write, and create media and stories for a living?

Sign me up!

And ever since I decided to pursue my passion for media, I have been blown away every day by the possibilities for my future.

I can’t wait to start my next project, or act upon ideas that I have.

The opportunities for my future are endless.