By Nick Coser
“In a world that has so much diversity to offer, why would we not want to experience it and educate ourselves on the various ideas, traditions, beliefs, and thought patterns that exist outside of our own? “
Inspiring talk from Brooklynn Ault, a 22-year-old multimedia communication major with a concentration in film studies at Olivet Nazarene University. Ault’s desire to know and understand more about the world we live in inspires her to travel and eventually become a full-time content creator or scriptwriter. Her interests stem from her creativity in scriptwriting and ability to acknowledge and appreciate all different types of people and the stories that they hold.
“I think that as humans, we can so often assume that the valid and universal truth is the truth that exist within our little world. However, I find it so beautiful that there are so many different people in this world, each with different stories, thoughts, passions, and more.”
It’s this type natural curiosity that led Ault to take up film studies at Olivet Nazarene University. Brooklynn’s interest in ONU began after visiting the college many times growing up. She says that she fell in love with the campus and became excited with the film program after learning about the school’s Los Angeles program for a semester.
Olivet film majors have the opportunity to spend a few months studying and receiving hands-on film field experience in America’s film capital, Los Angeles. This opportunity has left Ault nervous but hopeful that she’ll be able to learn and receive a film internship in one of the film world’s most well-versed cities.
This trip is a big step for Ault, who has spoken of her struggles with finding her passion and comparing herself to others “…who seemed entirely confident in who they were, what they were good at, and what they wanted to do with their lives.” Since spending time at Olivet, Ault has since made huge progress with her self-confidence, exploration of interests, and has created space for her own self-reflection.
To Ault, Olivet has been a community experience. Her advice to a new student would be to surround yourself with people who “encourage, motivate, and confront you when needed.” She found herself happiest when she chose to live in the moment and cease stressing so much on what she was going to do for her future career. She instead focused on her passions and desires within her major, leading to a much healthier headspace.
Like many students of Olivet, Ault faced the uncertainty of choosing a major and using her gifts to create and improve the world of media. After spending four years in the ONU communication department, Ault feels most proud of the educational progress she achieved and the connections she made along the way. When asked what she would tell her younger self, Ault responded with, “I would tell myself that things take time and to take a deep breath. It’s okay to not have everything figured out and that’s the beauty of life.”
