Year: Class of 2017
Hometown: Bridgewater, NJ
Major: Documentary Studies and Production
Her Campus IC: Tell me about your documentary. What prompted you to create it?
Dani Hobbs: My coproducer, Evin Billington, found a news article about the ways the refugee community was helping contribute to the economic development in Buffalo, and it really took off from there. The more research we did, the more we were interested in what was happening in Buffalo. We were reading about all of these organizations that were helping with refugee resettlement, refugees who were starting their own businesses, and refugees who were using their skills to help other refugees settle into the area. We knew that the debate over whether or not refugees should be welcomed into the United States is much more complex than a yes or no answer, and we wanted to be able to show that in our film. We wanted people to see the real human stories behind the debate that is so often reduced to numbers.
HCIC: How has the film been received?
DH: So far, it’s been received extremely well. When we screened at the Senior Thesis screening last year, people really seemed to like it, and we had people in the audience message us about how much they appreciated it. It won an award through the Director’s Guild of America, so that was pretty huge. With the recent executive orders, people’s interest has increased, so it’s been screening in various settings around Ithaca in the past few weeks. I honestly wish it wasn’t so relevant still. When we filmed it, I originally thought it would lose its relevance in November, but unfortunately that’s not the case. So now I’m hoping people will continue to be interested in watching the film; it’s an important issue, and I really want people to see the stories that we were able to capture.
HCIC: What were your largest challenged in planning/producing/publicizing the piece?
DH: To be honest, I can’t think of any one moment that really stood out. Evin and I had worked on a project the semester before that was filled with so many difficulties (like getting stuck in Tuscaloosa for 24 hours after the lug nuts fell off of one of the wheels on my car), and we just had a much better experience working on this project. There were points in the semester that we were kind of scared, because things seemed too good to be true. Obviously there were some stressful moments, there always are when making a film, but overall it all just came together so easily; the contacts we built were amazing, and we were welcomed into the community with open arms. Looking back on it, I have to give glory to God for it, that’s the only way I can explain the peace I felt throughout the entire process.
HCIC: What are you involved with on campus?
DH: To be honest, I’m not involved with much on campus. I’m part of the Urban Mentorship Initiative and International Sociology Honor Society. I actually spend a decent amount of time at Cornell, because I am a part of Cru there, and also have an internship with the Committee on U.S-Latin American Relations (CUSLAR). I used to be on the Ithaca College cheerleading team, but I’m old now and my body just can’t handle it anymore.
HCIC: Do you have any advice for incoming freshmen or underclassmen wanting to eventually pursue an issue like you have?
DH: My advice would be to just go for it. If you find a topic you’re interested in, start pursuing it. At the same time, however, I think that cultural competency is extremely important. Do your research, be observant, and be respectful! I can’t stress that enough. I worked on a project, and admittedly my group somewhat took advantage of the community we were working in. The goal was to get a story, rather than really care about people’s stories. I’m still haunted by that project and the way we handled certain things, but I definitely have learned from it. It’s just important to recognize that these are people’s lives you’re entering in to, and you need to be as respectful and empathetic as possible. I think that, in college, it is easy to get caught up in the grade you’re going to get, but building relationships with your subjects should come above anything else. My last bit of advice is to not give up. College can be stressful, and it gets easy to get caught up in comparing yourself to other people. If there’s one thing I wish I had learned earlier, it’s to just trust your timing and embrace your version of success. We all succeed in different ways and at different times in our life. It was great to win an award for a semester’s worth of work, but I have also had semesters where the greatest award for me was just making it through.
Watch Dani’s film here