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From left to right: Gordon, Smart, Jaggers, then-junior Cassidy Carson and graduate Angel Morgan pose before they set up lighting equipment while filming at Le Bonheur Hospital in 2019. with Jaggers on projects while studying digital media at Northwest Mississippi Community College. “In high school, I participated in music and theater, so I got interested in digital media as another creative outlet,” Smart said. “My first interest in the digital media program was photography. When I started helping with the Le Bonheur projects with [Jaggers and Gordon], I knew that this is where I could see myself building a career. I got really interested in filmography and
still find opportunities to learn more in this area.” Although Smart stays busy between school and other projects, he still takes time to visit his former teacher and her new students at DCCTCW. Now that he has a few years of experience under his belt, Smart said he enjoys sharing his new skills with aspiring digital media students. After almost three years contributing to the Le Bonheur charity projects, Cassidy Carson, a senior in Gordon’s
digital media program, said peer-topeer learning is beneficial, especially when it comes to professional photography — a skill she hopes to incorporate as a part of her career aspirations in cosmetology. “When we have older students come back to visit and show us how to use new equipment or software, it’s always easier because I feel like they know how to explain it on our level,” Carson said. “It’s really cool to see that you can take this new information into the future and put it to good use. This entire experience has allowed me to become more skilled in photography. I hope to open my own salon one day, so having strong digital media skills — particularly photography — will be very important to my business.” As for now, Gordon and Jaggers plan to continue connecting students with local opportunities to learn and gain more digital media experience in realworld settings. NEC’s sponsorship of the DCCTCW digital media program is helping CTE students grow personally and professionally and makes a positive impact on their career trajectory as they prepare for life beyond high school. news & notes
SAD Student Brings Esports to Vicksburg Warren Jason Penalver, a sophomore enrolled in the Vicksburg Warren School District’s Simulation and Animation Design Year 1 class, approached instructors Richard Hunt and Robert Lord in the fall with an ingenious idea: to start a new way for students to interact with one another using esports. Esports are a form of sport competition using video games. The games included Fortnite, Rainbow Six Siege and Rocket League. Esports are open to other students at the career and technical center and other centers across the state. The instructors were impressed by Penalver’s idea because it was student driven and student oriented.
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