Have you ever walked through Landis and saw someone walking across a tightrope or playing the guitar? After seeing them did you wonder about who they were or why they were there? Probably not, but Carolina Ruggero has, and she believes everyone has a story to share. She’s interviewed several dozen FSU students for Tell Your Story Tallahassee (TYST), a video project dedicated to exploring the unique stories behind FSU students. “Each story is so different. I love talking to all these people. You always find out something that you didn’t know. I interviewed a friend and we were so close and he shared something with me that I had no idea that he was going through. It’s just those stories where you don’t expect it, you know? His story I was like, ‘Woah, I didn’t know you were going through that.’ Those are the best ones,” she said.
Ruggero created TYST while writing for her own story. She shared, “The night before I couldn’t sleep. And I was thinking what am I going to do with the rest of my time here. I thought I only had two years here but now it’s going to be like five. I had a lot of different inspirations. I love motivational speakers. I love Humans of New York. So that’s kind of my twist on it but with video. My and friends used to video tape our pranks. So I really wanted to do something with video that was Tallahassee or FSU related. It was really just a spur of the moment thing and the next day I started filming.” She believes video provides a different perspective, saying, “There’s just a whole other aspect of hearing that person’s voice and seeing them move. There’s a whole different part that comes with video that I love. Some things you can’t just capture with a photo.”
She films 20-30 minute interviews and edits them down to a 2-3 minute video. Ruggero likes the brevity and specificity of each story. “I feel like I’m the lucky one. I get the whole 30 minutes. Everyone else just gets a two-minute piece. My boyfriend said to me, ‘I feel like it should be longer.’ And I’m like it was longer but that’s the whole point: to make you willing to talk to people because you could go talk to them in person and find out the rest of their story if you wanted too. The point is to encourage conversations with other people. I’m not going to be able to film everyone – you have to talk to some people. That’s what I’m doing. I’m talking to them in real life. You’d be surprised that people are willing to share something personal. More than you’d think. “
However, not everyone is open to being filmed randomly, by a stranger. Which has led to Ruggero changing her method and reaching out to friends, acquaintances, and different student groups on campus. “The first people I filmed were two completely random guys that I ran into on campus. The night before I decided, OK I’m going to do this. This is what I want to do. So after class I was walking around campus and I saw these two guys playing instruments. So, I asked them, ‘Can I film you for something?’ And they were like, ‘Sure.’ After that, I started asking friends or people I know, but not really well. So like, acquaintances, and I find that works better than strangers. I don’t go up to people anymore because it tends to not be the best approach. I wouldn’t want to open up to a random stranger on the spot. So usually I message them before hand and then we’ll meet up. ”
Ruggero is a Junior and just changed her major to Digital Media Production after starting this project. She even taught herself how to use her camera and edit videos. TYST has impacted her professionally and personally. She shared, “I think the best feeling is when someone wants to be on it because they have something to share. A story that really touched me was this girl Erin, who I met at LeaderShape. She asked me could she be on to share about her disease trichotillomania… One of my bosses, her daughter, has trichotillomania too. She saw it and she told me, ‘I showed my daughter this video and she feels such much better that there’s someone she can relate to.’ That was really awesome to hear.”
Ultimately, Ruggero hopes to expand TYST into a Registered Student Organization and have different students help with editing, interviewing, and marketing. She hopes this passion project and her time here at FSU will lead her down the path to her future. In the meantime, her goal is simple: “That’s my whole thing is films for a purpose. I don’t know what I’m going to do after I graduate. I just know I want to do something meaningful. I applied for this internship and I didn’t get it. I was disappointed, but it turns out if I had gotten it I wouldn’t have been able to apply to this major. The world needs a lot of doctors but I don’t know anything about chemistry. I know about video editing and I want to help people that way and pursue what I love.”
TYST can be found on YouTube and Facebook. Collegiettes interested in sharing their story can email Carolina at tyst@gmail.com.