David Gonzalez: A Man of Many Talents

David Gonzalez is a Sophomore at Olivet majoring in Multimedia Communication with a concentration in Film Studies. Gonzalez is not a first generation Olivet student as his parents also attended the university. While tuition and proximity to home played a role, Gonzalez said that he chose Olivet due to the film program that exists at the school.

David’s Love for Film

Film has always been an interest to Gonzalez. “Movies have just kind of been my number one thing that I love,” Gonzalez said. “Not just to watch, but also to do. It is my number one influence and factor in my life. I believe that it’s the way God communicates to me and I believe it’s the way that I can communicate to others.”

Last semester, Gonzalez took part in Documentary Production (COMM-380), a class in which you learn the basics on how to create a successful documentary. As the final project for this class, one is tasked to create a 17-20 minute documentary about any topic. Gonzalez successfully led his team to create a documentary about a church in Chicago Heights, IL.

The Many Talents of David Gonzalez

Being a student in the Department of Communication, Gonzalez has of course taken many COMM classes, most notably Studio Production where he hosted Season 6 of “Tonight at Olivet” just last semester. Taking full advantage of his role, he utilized his impression skills in the opening monologues of the episodes.

“Well, I found they make people laugh,” said Gonzalez in a Donald Trump impression when describing how he found interest in impressions. “So, you know, and I talk like this, some people, they start to giggle, they start to falter a little bit.”

Outside of classes, Gonzalez enjoys playing his guitar. He likes to get in about an average of an hour to an hour and a half each day, although there are some days he doesn’t play at all. Other days he might even practice for four or five, sometimes even six hours. Gonzalez owns four guitars: two electric, one acoustic, and one base.

 “My newest guitar typically gets a bit more love. That’s my electric PRS (Paul Reed Smith).”

“I’ll come back to the apartment, and he’s in the one room and I just hear him playing away,” said roommate Raymond DiCamillo. “Playing different songs over and over again until he has them memorized.”

In addition to playing solo, for over two years, Gonzalez is also a member of City on a Hill, a band that is a part of Olivet’s ministry teams.

“Our true job (in ministry teams) is being an advocate for Olivet and trying to convince kids… to come here to Olivet and basically showcase Christ, show them what it’s like to be an Olivet student, and hope that has an effect on them,” Gonzalez said.

David After Hours

Besides music, Gonzalez loves going hiking, particularly in Kankakee State Park, Starved Rock, the Indiana Dunes, and Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Of course, David usually doesn’t go alone. Things such as hiking and other recreational things are best spent with friends.

“We do like going hiking together,” said DiCamillo. “Typically, the place that we’ll go hiking a lot is the Indian Caves because, you know, they’re right down the street, down to Perry Farm.”

David and his friends enjoy doing many things together, not just hiking. Some of those things include being goofy with each other, or just simple heartfelt moments together.

“I’ll get back late at night and we’ll just be staying up talking,” said DiCamillo. “And then randomly somehow the conversation leads into like a more spiritual topic and we somehow get into like a deep theological discussion about many different topics.

What’s Ahead for David

Looking toward the future, Gonzalez has his focuses set in screenwriting as a profession, and, just like all the other Film Studies students, Gonzalez will embark on his journey to Los Angeles for the LA Film Studies Center (LAFSC) and the classes that await him there in 2028.