Hello everybody! I can’t believe it, but it is actually done. Our final class of P4SC was today and I’m wrapping things up with my final blog post and video diary. My final project is linked at the very bottom of this blog post – check it out after reading this! Our final week was very laid back. We watched everybody’s finals, only two students from YES were able to make it up to Cabrini and then we had dinner and had some fun in The Mansion shooting long exposures. My favorite part of the day was seeing Mimi have fun with the podium and microphone. You could tell she was having a blast doing the “ghost voices” and even though she wasn’t shooting pictures she was having fun. And that’s what matters. This semester in P4SC truly was a rollercoaster, but a very good rollercoaster at that. I don’t think anybody would’ve guessed we would be where we are now 15 weeks ago. This ride has been amazing and I cannot begin to thank Linda enough for working with Cabrini administration, department faculty and my schedule in order to have me as a part of this class. At first I was completely uninterested in taking this class, but now spending a whole semester in it, it’s amazing what you can do when you combine your passion of photography with the college’s mission of “Doing Something Extraordinary.” I cannot even begin to explain the amazing things I’ve taken away from this class – because there are honestly so many! Although if I had to decide it would these three lessons: 1. The Role of Mentoring - Mentoring is such an important component of life. There are those who want to be mentors and those who want to be mentored – so take advantage of whatever side you are on! In this class, I had the chance to mentor several youth and also the chance to mentor one student in-depth. The feeling you get after is somewhat surreal. You know you’ve done something good, but you don’t need praise nor want it because throughout the entire mentoring process, you just want your mentee to achieve their goals. 2. Don’t Be Afraid to Raise Your Voice – Although we didn’t get the chance to lobby in Washington, D.C., there are plenty of other ways to raise your voice. My video (which you haven’t watched yet) is one of them. Whether it be video, social media or face-to-face there are endless ways to raise your voice, but what you need to do is find one that works best for you. 3. Looking Beyond The Lens – This is probably the best takeaway from the program. So often in various cultures, you will see primarily negativity in the way people are living their lives. People complain, whine and wallow about how terrible their life is, but if you took a moment to look at the bigger picture, look outside your lens and look at the world outside of what it can do for you, you’d be amazed! There are worse things going on in the world than your coffee stain on your khakis! Start this step in your life with baby steps – Eventually you’ll be able to see positivity and the good in everything and everyone. I hope you enjoyed reading my blog posts throughout the semester, because I truly enjoyed writing them. If my posts, photos or video has intrigued you in any way, I really encourage you to donate. Without adequate funding, the program could not be as successful as it was this semester. But that needs to continue for semesters to come! Photo 4 Social Change will always hold a special place in my heart and this semester spent with the program will never be forgotten. Thank you all! Signing Off For Now… -Dan FINAL PROJECT