Enrolling in a digital media class can change a student’s career trajectory, and empower the creator that is within all of us.

For Ethan Weldon, the journey to becoming a content creator started with deciding to enroll in a video production class during his junior year of high school.

At the time, Ethan had no idea that he had just taken the first step toward becoming a content creator.

How One Class Can Change Your Life

While in high school, Ethan struggled to find something he was genuinely passionate about. As with most students, he needed to be more engaged with the traditional classes he had to take.

It wasn’t until junior year that he encountered a teacher that gave him the confidence to pursue his passions.

“When I took that video production class, it was kind of the first time that I felt like a teacher saw potential in me to do something sort of cool. So that was a huge time for me to kind of just delve into something that I felt like someone saw potential in me to be doing.”

Having a teacher communicate their confidence and appreciation to a student means more to them than they will ever know. For Ethan, that teacher is named Mrs. Steinhauser, he says that he has no idea where he would be today if not for her.

Before his time in the video productions class was over, Ethan already knew the next step in his journey. To take the more advanced video productions class offered at his high school.

Little did he know that Mrs. Steinhauser would give him an opportunity he could not turn down. An opportunity that would unlock a trait that is a huge part of Ethan’s identity today.

“There was a spot for someone to be the director in the next broadcast class. So she asked me if I wanted to come to that next class and be the director of it. That was really cool for me because I hadn’t tapped into that part of myself being a leader, now that’s a huge part of my identity.”

A new passion and a new trait weren’t the only things that Ethan would find while in these digital media education classes. The most important thing that he would find is something that he had been searching his whole life for, a community.

“It was like a whole new sense of community for me. Being with people who were like-minded and sharing ideas or just having fun. In so many different ways it provided me with a community of people who were better than me at what I was doing and I got to learn from them.”

Continuing the Journey of Becoming a Content Creator

As his time in high school ended, Ethan had to decide what the next step was. Luckily, this decision came quickly to him.

“I saw the kind of digital media education that the University of Nebraska-Lincoln offered, the quality, the quantity, and just the overall passion that the fan base provided. I was like, that’s where I have to be.”

Four years later, Ethan has worked in about every digital media division that the University of Nebraska-Lincoln offers and has loved every aspect of being involved with UNL.

“I would highly recommend anyone who’s looking into the digital media space going into college, UNL is something you have to look into. Compared to universities across the country, they don’t have the kind of attention to their digital media programs that we do. It is second to none how much they prioritize it.”

From digital media class to content creator, Ethan is well on his journey to having an extraordinary creative career. But just imagine if he had never had the opportunity to learn about digital media in high school.

Countless school districts across the country don’t offer a digital media education program. At every single one of these schools, there are students like Ethan. Students who have these passions inside of them need an outlet to unlock them.

If you are a teacher or administrator, you hold the key to unlocking many opportunities and experiences that students can’t have otherwise, and lead students from a digital media class to becoming a content creator.

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Striv is at the intersection of digital media education and delivers an engaging curriculum, innovative audio-visual equipment, and an education-based streaming platform for K-12 schools.

We help educators start a digital media program or take it to the next level. With our top-of-the-line curriculum and resources, we make it easy for you and your students. Click here to get access today.