I can’t really say where my film journey started. I have pieces of it from elementary and middle school, especially when I started my YouTube channel in 2016, but I guess it started in my sophomore year of high school. After I lost my passion for Forensic Science in my freshman year, I was somewhat lost on what I wanted to do. Some people told me I should take the ACCP course (Arts & Communications Core Pathway) at my high school. When I thought I was in the class, I was later informed that it was full.
Eventually, I landed in Journalism. I disliked most of the class; the ethics, the exaggeration, views count > truth, I couldn’t bare it. Though there was one aspect I did like, *photography*. I loved it, in fact, in January 2017, I started using my family’s camera (Canon EOS Rebel T6) and took photos. At first, it was nature photos and animal photos, taking pictures of the plants, sky, my pets, birds, literally anything. Once sign-ups for my high school junior year opened, I signed up for the ACCP course right away; I got in for the next year.
Although we discussed graphic design, photography, and other kinds of media, I really enjoyed the *filmmaking* lessons. I applied these lessons to my YouTube videos, and I liked it. My family eventually got a Panasonic 4K camcorder that I primarily used. When lockdowns hit Hawai’i, schools closed for the rest of the year, so I had more time to create videos and learned new things each time I upload.
In my virtual high school senior year, I enrolled in photography and digital media classes, and despite my dislike for virtual learning and being cooped up, I enjoyed it. In early 2021, I decided to attend the University of Idaho to major in *Film & Television Studies.* I also got a work-study part-time job as a Photo Editor & Photographer for Creative Services. I was both excited and scared because I was finally moving out of Hawai’i, but I was also going somewhere new with no one I knew. I graduated from high school in May 2021, then went off to Idaho in August.
Seeing Idaho for the first time was breathtaking; I’ve been to the continental United States before, but only in the big cities in California, Las Vegas, and Texas; we barely drove anywhere and only took planes in & out of those cities. I have never taken so many pictures in one sitting before, it was amazing. Going from Boise to Moscow was the first time I’ve went on a road trip for 4+ hours, and it was tiring but fun.
I started college in August 2021, with my job starting a week after. For the first year, I was kind of bored with the classes I got because it was mostly history lessons and lectures; definitely not my thing, but some was necessary to learn. There were some lessons and one class that were hands-on, but it was stuff that I kind of knew already, and I wasn’t the cinematographer for most assignments. My second year was a bit more hands-on learning and I loved it.
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My third and final year at the university was one of the best times I’ve had in my life.
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MAY & JUNE 2025 - With graduation done and moved back in with my parents, I had to reorganize everything…physically and mentally. Not only I had to organize my stuff and tidy my room a bit more, but I also had to find jobs. Unfortunately, due to where I’m at, there are no media-related jobs that were in my study, so I had to start from 1. A couple of weeks later, I got a job as a Sam’s Club Associate in Montana and am also considering working part-time as a Car Wash Attendant. My current goals for right now is to make enough money for 1) a PC/Desktop, 2) a new camera (potentially), then 3) save enough money so I can get my own place.
JULY & AUGUST 2025 -
JANUARY 2026 - I just hit 6 months at my Sam’s Club job. I love what I do and I like most of my co-workers, especially the overnight crew & the mid-shift crew, all of them are awesome. Most of the early morning crew are awesome too, just a minor bump in it, but it’s easy to ignore and move on with my roles. I plan on moving out between April and July of this year, to move in with my boyfriend by where he’s currently at. Although I don’t plan to stay at the same corporation as the one I’m in now, I do plan on keeping a similar job role if I can’t find any media jobs.
APRIL 2026 - I celebrated my birthday & my last day at Sam’s Club. It was a bittersweet moment because I am moving on with my life, moving in with my boyfriend & out of my parents’ house, but at the same time, I will miss my co-workers. They were the best. With a few factors influencing my decisions, I thought it was best to transfer to a Walmart rather than get a new job and potentially not having any health benefits.