4 minute read
Alumni Voices
Emu Haynes ’17
Emu Haynes ’17 prefers to take the road less traveled. At KUA she navigated campus by skateboard; today she tackles Los Angeles gridlock en route to freelance gigs. A senior at Chapman University, Haynes is building her portfolio to become a director of photography in L.A.’s cutthroat film industry. She wouldn’t have it any other way.
After graduating from high school, Haynes opted for a gap year. “Being in a small bubble, I wanted to see more of the world that my fellow KUA students, especially international students, felt and experienced,” says the Connecticut native. “Everyone went to college, and I decided to explore before taking the next step.”
Haynes connected with a fellow KUA alumna in Vietnam before backpacking through Thailand. She did a film internship in South Africa during the nation’s water crisis and presidential transition. “I saw the presidential exchange take place right outside my office,” she recalls.
Haynes then designed a solo backpacking trip through Europe, where she connected with KUA friends and connections from previous travels before returning to the States and selecting Chapman for college.
“I remember immediately feeling like it was home, like I felt about KUA,” she says of Chapman. “They have an amazing film program that is up and coming and very competitive. They give you a camera on the first day of school. It was very hands-on, which is what I was looking for.”
Haynes got her first taste of filmmaking at KUA, thanks to the encouragement of her advisor, Art Teacher and Dean of Faculty Julie Haskell. “There wasn’t a film class at the time, but teachers let me try and explore the realm of film,” she says. “I made film projects sometimes instead of writing an essay and created a short film as a capstone. The faculty and my classmates were pushing me and giving me the platform to explore film further.”
Creative encouragement from faculty helped Haynes land first place in a Vermont film festival, an accomplishment she proudly used for college and job applications. Today Haynes is picking up freelance jobs on film sets while balancing her college courseload. “Cinematography is the end goal. I love shooting films that have real stories behind them, things that people feel drawn to and relate to on a personal level.
“When I first arrived at KUA I was very shy, and I broke out of my shell and was pushed to try new things. I became a proctor, joined the Campus Activities Board, and then ran for All-School President. I built up so much confidence over my time there.” K
A recent graduate of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, Herfort is a vocal and fervent advocate for climate action.
Former All-School President Haynes broke out of her shell and broke into the film industry.
Noah Herfort ’17
It was reading Al Gore’s book Our Choice in Dr. Kopp’s AP environmental science class that helped lead Noah Herfort ’17 to where he is today. A recent graduate of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, Herfort is a vocal and fervent advocate for climate action and has pointed himself and his career at solving what he describes as our “gargantuan issue.”
“My parents always impressed upon me the value of environmental stewardship and made me aware of climate change before it was a well-known thing,” he says. “When I went to KUA, I took AP environmental science and it really piqued my interest in climate change. It really carried over to my university life and my outside jobs.”
At St. Andrews, Herfort pursued a joint honors degree in sustainable development and international relations. He served as editor-in-chief of the campus environmental magazine and as a student representative on the school’s Environmental Sustainability Board, which devised a plan for the university to hit net-zero carbon emissions by 2035—ahead of Scotland’s target.
“We live in a system that values economic returns and profits at the expense of the environment,” he says. “Real climate action requires a revision of the economy and the
political system.”
To learn how to do just that, he sought meaningful internship opportunities at home and abroad. At the American Embassy in Croatia he examined how the embassy could become more sustainable and use environmental awareness to foster stronger relationships between Croatians and Americans. Herfort then interned with the Climate Institute in Washington, DC, where he authored a paper on “The Impacts of Climate Change on the American Rural Health Care System.”
“I tried a breadth of different experiences beyond academics, which shaped what I want to do with my life,” he says. “I knew my passion, but this shaped the way I exercise my passion.”
Herfort is now working toward an innovation, public policy and public value MPA at University College London. The new program, designed by a leading economist, teaches students to lead in the public and private sectors to confront the challenges of the 21st century.
“Climate change and environmental degradation are systemic problems we can’t solve with cosmetic changes. The full breadth of society and our leaders need to step up to the plate.” K
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