SENIOR SCHOOL
Sophie
and the
big apple
Building media connections
in New York
In 2015 I was fortunate enough to be
selected as the inaugural recipient of the
School’s Stewart Staff Travel Scholarship,
travelling to New York and visiting Yale
University, New York Film Academy, New
York University and Columbia University
as well as a number of art institutions and
spaces. The primary purpose of my trip to
New York was to visit several educational
institutions to review their programs and
facilities, exploring how spaces impact
pedagogy and how best to utilise areas
for Media Studies at Guildford Grammar
School. The secondary purpose was to
gain connections with these prestigious
institutions to allow for continued
communication and offer information
to graduate students who wish to study
abroad.
Over the three weeks I was in New York I
spoke to numerous academics, gathered
valuable resources and was able to visit
some outstanding places. Interviewing the
President of The New York Film Academy
was an incredible moment. Their facilities
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are state-of-the-art, with students filming
on industry standard RED cameras. A huge
network of industry professionals and guest
speakers have included Stephen Spielberg
and the like. The Academy have offered
to run master classes with our students in
2017 as well as help students develop their
portfolios.
Yale University was another “pinching
myself” moment. I spent two days in
New Haven visiting the iconic university,
attending lectures and exploring the
grounds. I was thrilled to attend lectures
held by some of the world’s leading
academics in film studies as well as have a
chat about where they think media is going,
and how we can improve media education
amongst young males.
The buildings I visited are a mix of modern
and historical facades, but all seem to
maintain the Ivy League ‘feel’. My favourite
was the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript
Library, which is made out of Italian marble
and filters the light naturally. It was here
that I was able to view some of the oldest
Ms Sophie Bannister.
books in the world, including the Gutenberg
Bible.
One of the most exciting aspects of
Yale was learning that finance is rarely a
requirement. The enrollment officers I met
stated that “Students get into Yale, then
we look at how we can support them
financially. If you are selected to attend here,
we will make sure you can!” This might
encourage more international students to
consider applying to this university.
It is almost impossible to describe how
exciting this trip was, as every day I fell in
love with the city and everything it had to
offer. The resources I gathered will feed
directly into the ever-growing Media Studies
Department at Guildford Grammar School,
whilst the contacts will hopefully continue
to help students in the journey beyond their
high school career.
Ms Sophie Bannister
Media Teacher