A New Short Film for the Minerva Institute

The Minerva Institute is the lesser-known counterpart to the Minerva Schools–a startup university in San Francisco. I have co-directed and produced a number of videos for Minerva this past year that have featured the many unique aspects of the academic model of this school in its infancy.  This project was different because we got to not only highlight the unique scholarship and financial aid model that the school has developed, but we had the wonderful opportunity to dive deep into the stories of some of the students directly affected by this program. 

I had the opportunity to co-direct this short film with a close friend and colleague, Jessey Dearing, that features the personal stories of three student part of the second freshman class to attend Minerva. Fabiola is the daughter of parents who survived the Rwandan genocide, Coby grew up in the rural South of the United States and Dorotea began to attack the issues of poverty in her home of Kosovo during high school. We had the chance to really explore the diverse life experiences that have defined these students' lives and inspired the trajectory of their studies.

The result is a heartfelt, genuine film about three students whose paths cross as a result of receiving a unique financial aid offer from the Minerva Institute.