Meet Rachel Ekwerike ’21, a recent Department of Media graduate. In this blog, Rachel shares how Ball State prepared her for the professional world and the exciting plans she has for the future.
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Can you describe your journey prior to Ball State University?
In late middle school, I got my first experience with cameras, editing, and creating stories about real people. From then, I was attracted to the concept of being able to capture moments of life. In high school, I mainly participated in different physical art classes such as ceramics, 3d art, and painting.
I knew I wanted to come to Ball State when I heard about their media program and that so many awesome alumni, like David Letterman, had gone to before. In the spring of my senior year, I made the final decision to attend Ball State, before I had ever even been to Muncie or been on campus. I remember the first time I came to campus, I was road-tripping with friends and we came up and I immediately felt at home.
What made you decide your major for Ball State?
I love cameras and I love storytelling. I love being able to capture raw emotion and translate it over the screen.
What has been your favorite class or career opportunity during your time at Ball State?
One of my favorite classes was one I had a love/hate relationship with. 204 Media Analysis was a class that challenged me but excited me at the same time. The professor was tough but it allowed me to grow closer to some of my best friends in the media program.
How have your experiences at Ball State shaped your personal growth?
What projects have shaped your educational career?
What has been the proudest moment in your career so far?
My proudest moment was graduating a semester early with honors. Although this pandemic stole some precious moments of my college life, I’m happy I was still able to finish strong and early!
What are your plans after college?
As of right now, I am still taking some time to decompress from school and work. I plan to move back to Indianapolis and work in the news field or for a production company producing real stories about real-life people.
Can you share one thing that people don’t typically know about you?
What student organizations did you participate in?
Working on The Reel Deal, a daily news show. I was able to have fun and be creative with our scripts, as well as learn different skills like using a teleprompter and different audio equipment. I was also involved in Fringed for about a year which was an all-women film group.