I’ve been deeply impressed by the students’ tenacity in going after these stories. With very few exceptions, they’ve been relentless about pursuing the material they need to put their projects together. Two members of one group have gotten up every morning to shoot time-lapsed clips of the sunrise – and they’ve waited out every sunset to do the same. Others have used underwater camera cases or waterproof plastic sacks to shoot the turtles, sharks, sea lions and other species that inhabit this archipelago. It hasn’t been easy, especially in the heat that descends upon these islands most afternoons. Some interviews have fallen completely flat. Some subjects declined to be filmed. More than one student suffered a stomach ailment. And some students have made mistakes in the field. And we, the faculty, have insisted that now is the time, while still in university, to make these mistakes – and to learn from them. So that when they go out to the field as professionals, they won’t make them over again. So the students persist in their work. They are determined. They should be enormously proud of themselves. I certainly am.
