Dinar Wibowo — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 19:12:17 +0000

Like most teenagers, I did not know what I want to do when I graduated out of high school. I knew I liked Art and History so I proposed to my parents the idea of going to an art school but they immediately turned it down. I was upset but at the same time I understood their reasoning. At that time, my father was already retired so the notion of art school did not come across as lucrative enough for them. We were not poor but money was definitely not what it used to be. I did not even bother applying to private universities because I knew that in the long run it is going to be financially challenging for my parents.

After getting accepted to City College and York College, I decided to go with the latter. The reason being that York College has a program that I never came across before. I did not know what Communications Technology really was. But somehow, it made me feel curious and I found myself strangely attracted. I was not able to explain to my parents what being a Communications Technology major entails. I just knew that it combines art and technology and that I had to go for it.

In my lower sophomore year, I took CT-101, which was an introduction to video course. It was terrifying considering that I did not know anything about digital video. The course was rigorous but I kept telling myself that if I choose to do something I might as well be good at it. I stuck it out and tried to meet deadline after deadline. And I ended up getting an A in that course. But something much bigger and better was coming my way.

Right after I took CT-101, I was offered a job as a College Assistant. I started working in the Multi Media Lab in the Spring 2008 semester. My job mainly consists of camera work, editing, assisting professors and students as well as other tasks. Much more than the money, this job has provided me with a wealth of invaluable learning experience in the digital video field and the multi media field.

This job also hones my social skills. It teaches me how to deal with people from various walks of life and it also teaches me how to work as a team under strict deadlines. For example, in summer 2009, I was chosen to participate in CUNY CBS TV Boot Camp in which teams had to create a ten minute long, 60 Minutes style documentary in just two weeks. There were a tremendous amount of stress and pressure but our team members were able to remain calm and focused. We succeeded in producing a solid piece by the end of the second week.

As I learn so much more about the digital video field, I have come to a realization that editing is my forte. I like the way I feel when I’m editing. I feel powerful because the power of constructing and presenting a story are in my hands.

To this day, I am glad I followed my gut instinct. I love what I do. I am not one to always believe in fate but in this case I do.

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