H-ton Senior Sofia Suarez Needs Your Vote
Sofia Suarez needs your vote. A talented young videographer, the Huntington High School senior has created a short film on the topic of inclusivity and entered it into the Duralife Unlocker Challenge, a national video contest. Voting will run through April 15.
The contest “asks students to explore the diverse voices in their school by producing an original video based on the theme ‘Through the Locker Door,’” according to the competition’s website. “Lockers are where students congregate, meet friends and socialize. They also provide a window to the individual. ‘Through the Locker Door’ engages students to open doors, break barriers and see more clearly into each other’s lives in order to foster a more positive and inclusive school climate.”
Contest participants were required to create an original video using this year’s theme “to show how inclusivity happens, or can happen in you school; why inclusivity is key to a more positive school climate; how collaboration and inclusive social interaction can inspire creativity and discovery; and why thinking inclusively will make students stronger individuals throughout their lives.”
Like all filmmakers, even the most famous, Ms. Suarez faced challenges along the way. “The hardest part was fitting the video into the 2 ½ minute time frame,” the teenager said. “The students I interviewed gave such insightful opinions. This whole experience was really eye opening for me, just to see how others feel about inclusivity in our school and how they believe our school can further improve.”
Ms. Suarez has not finalized her college plans yet, but her top choices “at the moment” are Boston University, Trinity College, Stony Brook University and Villanova University.
“Taking video portfolio this year has given me more freedom with the types of projects I choose,” Ms. Suarez said. “I always enjoyed creating PSAs and just overall projects that can have more of an impact on others. I chose to do this contest on inclusivity because I know that our school offers many opportunities to get students involved and is also very diverse.”
Visit this link to watch Ms. Suarez’s short film. People can vote once every 24 hours through April 15. The first place prize includes $50,000 worth of new lockers for the filmmaker’s school and $7,500 in scholarships; the second place award is $10,000 in lockers and $5,000 worth of scholarships and third place will generate $5,000 in new lockers and $2,500 in scholarships.
“Sofia is an incredibly hard working, smart and responsible young lady,” said Heather Swan, who leads Huntington High School’s video arts program. “I have enjoyed working with her in the video program for the past four years. Sofia’s inclusivity video is beautifully done and talks about another reason why our school district is so great.”
The nationwide video competition is “designed to create an enriching learning experience for students, while providing schools the opportunity to win free lockers and scholarships,” according to the contest website. “Open to high school and middle school students, the Duralife Unlocker asks students to explore the theme of inclusivity and to show how it happens, or can happen, in their school environment. The goal is to foster dialogue, empower students to think inclusively and help unlock their potential for collaboration, creativity, discovery and social interaction.”