CMAP Student Spotlight: Becky Bastien, 2017–18 cohort
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Becky Bastien hopes to combine her videography, photography, and graphic design skills with the power of the online community to evoke both positive individual growth and global change. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Film and Video Studies from George Mason University, with minors in Multimedia and Arts Management. Becky has helped build and enhance social media platforms for multiple groups, ranging from elementary schools to documentary filmmakers. Being a photographer/videographer allows her to work with a variety of different people and organizations, which she loves because she’s always learning something new. In her free time, she loves to go on road trips, photograph abandoned places, and take naps with her cat. Becky is very excited to be pursuing her Master’s in CMAP and looks forward to spending more time in the Engagement Lab!
*What was the path that brought you to CMAP? *I studied film in undergrad, and knew that I wanted to use those skills to work somewhere that makes an impact. During my long, awful, job search I found CMAP, and the rest was history.
*What does civic media mean to you? *To me, civic media is a way to utilize all of the incredible forms of technology and media that exist in our world today in order to make quiet voices be heard and evoke civic change.
What is one change you would like to see in the world? I’d like to see people care about other people.
*What would you want the civic media community to know about you? *I love working with many different forms of media (film, photography, graphic design), and am passionate about using these media to tell the stories of others.
Are there any specific projects that you’ve done in the past that intersect with your studies now? Not quite — the closest would be my work with the National Student Leadership Conference. During my time there I was able to use my filmmaking skills to tell the stories of students who attended the conference, who often spoke about how attending the NSLC impacted their lives.
> > To me, civic media is a way to utilize all of the incredible forms of technology and media that exist in our world today in order to make quiet voices be heard and evoke civic change.
How do you define engagement? What does being engaged mean to you?Being engaged means being fully informed and passionate about a topic or issue, and actively working to use your skills to lend a hand.
What are some of your favorite pieces of media? *Since it is fresh in my mind from my directed study, I really love the film Torch Song Trilogy, which was originally written as a play by *Harvey Fierstein. It was released in 1988 when positive queer representation in mainstream media was still fairly rare, and presents a funny, detailed, real look at what it was like to be gay in the 1970s.
What’s one fun fact most people don’t know about you? I interned for Rick Astley in undergrad.
Learn more about Civic Media, Art & Practice.