Nadia Medina, who is originally from Edison, New Jersey, has thrown herself in to the film department at Drexel University with dedication and drive. As a junior in the television production and media management major, Nadia is preparing for her first co-op and working tirelessly on all aspects of production that she can get her hands on.
Before committing to a university to continue her education, Nadia came to visit Drexel’s campus. After that initial visit, Nadia’s love and excitement for this university never faltered. Aside from being the perfect distance from home – close but still far enough away – Nadia’s love for Philadelphia helped her decide between Drexel and schools located in New Jersey or New York. A city full of art and excitement is the perfect place for someone majoring in film, and Nadia recognized this immediately.
“I wanted a fresh start. I craved a new, bustling scene, even though I thought the city was not for me,” Nadia said, recalling the stress of her college search. “The truth was, I just hadn’t found the right city. When I toured Drexel’s campus, I knew that this would be the city I could plant my roots into.”
Nadia’s transition wasn’t necessarily seamless, however. Originally, she was a psychology major and only switched to TV production last year. The switch immediately made sense to her, and Nadia began joining clubs that would help her with her craft.
“Right now I work as a video editor for Dragon Productions,” Nadia said. She also pointed out how Dragon Productions has helped her grow as an editor, tested her skills in the field and given her some real-world experience working with clients.
Dragon Productions is not Nadia’s only on-set experience, however. While her career goal is to become an editor, she tries to learn about every aspect of being on set that she can. From script work to supervising to special effects makeup, Nadia has yet to find a specialty in film where she does not excel.
“My favorite project to date was working on hair and makeup, wardrobe and set design for a music video,” Nadia said as she reminisced about her most recent project. This video was a job that combined three of Nadia’s favorite hobbies: makeup, music and video. “It was a lot of work, but definitely the most fun. It turned out amazing, and the whole crew was great to work with.”
In her limited downtime, Nadia gets together with what she calls her “girl gang.” Her roommates and friends are her go-to group for Sunday brunches, Wednesday night watch parties, and study sessions over Taco Bell. She loves sharing gossip with her friends over large mugs full of tea (so long as it doesn’t have anything to do with The Bachelor) and says that it is the simple things that make her life so great.
Although these calm hangouts are few and far between, Nadia doesn’t really mind – her passion is her art, and it brings her spirit to life. “When I’m working, I’m with a group of people who want to create and when we come together and collaborate it turns into this magic piece of art that you get to show the world,” she said, rushing out of the door to get on set. “I sound like a huge nerd, but I really love what I do, and I never want to stop creating.”