–Written by Alexa Gahan
For this week’s Campus Celebrity, we went behind the scenes. Amazing student athletes are showcased every week on BlueHens.com, but its takes a lot of hard work, time, and experience to bring those game-winning goals to you. For Nina Raspa, a senior Communication major here at UD, a game spent behind the camera is just another Saturday night.
Nina is an assistant to the Director of University of Delaware Athletics Multimedia, offering a hand whenever she can. From basketball games to field hockey tournaments, Nina has covered it all. Whether she is manning the camera or producing a live stream, Nina is always game. It is her dedication, passion, and school spirit that makes her your HerCampus Celebrity of the week!
AG: How does it feel to be named a HerCampus Celebrity?
NR: It’s an honor to be named a HerCampus Celebrity, especially knowing who nominated me for it!
AG: Have you always been interested in multimedia?
NR: I’ve been interested in photography and video probably since I was aware of the Christmas and birthday video tapes that we would put together when we were young. I guess I sort of put that on the back burner when entering college, as I started as an Athletic Training Interest major. Once I switched to Communication and got my hands back on a camera shooting sports, I was hooked.
AG: How did you get your start at Delaware Athletics Multimedia?
NR: I befriended a girl named Kara who was in my major classes and helped out on the student television network show on which I work. She told me about University of Delaware Multimedia and how much she enjoyed it and said that she would ask her boss, Jimmy Smith, if I could shoot pictures at the final football game of the year last year. Jimmy met me after I gave blood at the CAA drive, saw me operating the camera, and said all he needed was a headshot for my credential.
AG: When did you start to realize you had a passion for working with/behind the camera?
NR: I think that filming during those family parties was where I started, but I never realized it. A few summers ago, I filmed a going away video for my little brother and figured out how to use editing software by trial and error to put the video together. I stayed up all night, until maybe 4 a.m., to get that done, and I knew that if I enjoyed something like that so much to stay up so long, I have found something special.
AG: What is your next step? Where do you see yourself after graduation?
NR: Thinking about graduating is honestly one of the scariest things for me. I feel so good here, with Delaware Athletics Multimedia. The relationships I have made and the friendships that have grown, it’s very special to me. The experience is an added bonus I think. My mind is traveling faster than I can, when thinking about post graduation: maybe something close to home, or even something as far as halfway around the world. Your guess is as good as mine!
AG: What is your favorite project you’ve ever worked on?
NR: Some of my favorite projects were the Sights and Sounds videos that I did for the Women’s Basketball NCAA 1st and 2nd rounds last year, because it allowed me to have so much creative freedom. Another one of my favorite projects was the Little (Big) League project I worked on with you, because it gave me a chance to work one on one with another intern, and we were able to collaborate nicely on the project itself. It was great because it was a longer piece, and we had the opportunity to learn a bit about the student athlete’s life. It was so rewarding to see how happy the final product made his family. The next baseball game I worked, his dad asked if I had worked on it, and after confirming, he gave me a few of the biggest hugs that I have ever received. That’s when I knew it was all worth it.
AG: What advice would you give to other students who are interested in pursuing this field?
NR: I would say that you need to have a passion for it. There are some very late nights, and I know these nights will only get longer if I can pursue this as my career. You have to be able to know when to be professional and when you can be more relaxed, because there is a balance. And you have to put in the time, because with time, you gain experience, you learn, and you build relationships. Above all, never let yourself take for granted the opportunities given to you and remember to enjoy it all!