Voices April - September 2023

10 34 April- September 2023 | VOICES Bi- Monthly Magazine of the University of Technology, Jamaica Guest speaker Mr. Michael Holgate, Creative Director, ASHE Performing Arts Company took the audience on a veritable journey of his personal development, mentorship and career in the creative industry which he noted has taken him across the globe as a performing artist and quipping that in none of these instances has he ever had to purchase his own airplane ticket. Against this background and using the mantra, “when you have a clear, defined, unapologetic goal, you become a magnet for what you want,” Holgate urged the students to “never take no for an answer” in pursuing their big dreams; to “start before you are ready, ” to recognize that “you are the platform” and gave assurance that “when you answer the call the journey finds you.” The opening ceremony included an impressive show reel of the students’ media projects looking at a variety of social themes, aspects of culture, heritage, health, wellness and lifestyle. BACAT Programme Director, Mr. Melville Cooke in his report, thanked lecturers who supervised the projects, external assessors, and the technical team for guiding the students to the successful completion of their final projects. He also noted that four students have received job offers resulting from their planning and execution of the exhibition. Noting that “the BACAT programme was conceptualized in part as a union of creativity and communication,” Mr. Cooke explained that the student media projects on display characterize “the element of newness, of originality in idea or presentation,” with the top scoring projects displaying these characteristics to “an especial high degree.” Top Media Projects The Programme Director announced top scoring student projects in the categories of Print, Video, Audio, Campaigns and Web Design. The top students in Print were Breanna Lewin, Jodi-Kaye Stewart and Shantrese Brown. Top students in the video category were Demetrious Robe, Joleen Slack and Devadeen Salmon. Topping the Audio category were Damoy Rowe and Brian Grant, while the Campaign category was topped by Suen Chang, Rollesha Laing, Nakaylia Morant and Abbigale Lewis. Aleyah Maitland was named top student in Web Design. The Programme Director also announced the top 5 overall students from the cohort of 50 students. They are Suen Chang, Demetrious Robe, Rollesha Laing, Nakaylia Morant and Abbigale Lewis. The Programme Director reported that two student projects tied for the top spot with 95 percent. One is a short film by Demetrious Robe, titled ‘Like Everyone Else’ which features a 19-year-old girl with high functioning autism who struggles to fit in. The second top project scoring 95 percent was Money Wi$e – a media campaign by Suen Chang which focuses on providing financial education and empowerment to youth. These two projects were supervised by Mr. Rolando Smith and Ms. Saudicka Diaram respectively. The School of Humanities and Social Sciences has offered the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Arts and Technology since 2009. The degree offers a comprehensive set of skills in digital media production with concentrations in Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations Photo Highlights Final Year BACAT student Raymond Morrison (right) shows Mr. Robert Aldeson, Jr. Public Affairs Officer, United States Embassy something of interest in his media project – a book titled “From Function to Fashion: The Evolution of Jamaican Clothing” which is a “captivating exploration of the development of Jamaican fashion and its unique evolution from practical wear to a celebrated art form. It offers readers an insightful presentation of the history and cultural significance of Jamaican clothing styles.

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDQ5NzI=