TOY Award Winner Explores Multimedia

First-year student Adam Breen knows Tower of Youth (TOY) first hand: he took part in last year's Teen Digital Reel Competition and came back a winner.

Then a senior at Rio Americano High School in Sacramento, Breen's photography teacher approached him and another student about participating in the TOY competition.

"I hadn't worked with multimedia software before. Mike, my partner for the competition, had limited experience. There were the usual organizational problems of a first-year event. We got the software late -- the video was due 30 days later. It was an eye-opening experience. There are lots of interesting things out there, but we didn't really have the skills to use them."

Breen said the extended training provided this year was a great improvement. "Learning how to use the tools is definitely essential to putting together a good video," he said.

But entering the competition as a computer novice didn't get in the way of winning first place in the "Perspectives on the Future" category. And as a prize winner, Breen was entitled to apply for various internships.

"I had a lot of fun. It made me want to pursue working with multimedia." He applied for a summer internship at the Arbor, an on-campus facility that assists instructors in the use of instructional technology. That internship has since turned into a part-time student position.

"Adam has worked out wonderfully," says Margaret Byrne, Manager of Information Resources' Academic Support Program (which includes the Arbor) and coordinator of new media projects. "The fact that he created a sample digital reel says a lot about his discipline, focus, and energy. It's much more meaningful to an employer than words on a resume. And it turns out that Adam is bright, talented, and a quick learner."

This year more students will have the opportunity to further their experience with multimedia applications. TOY has made available to competition partnerships 15 paid internships, at organizations from Tower Records to the Crocker Art Museum.

And what does the future hold? Breen is considering a major in Agricultural and Managerial Economics, but he's sure his experience in multimedia will pay off. "I don't think it matters what your major is. Knowledge of technology and multimedia is going to be useful to anyone in the real world. You can create slides for presentations, a Web page for your organization. It's important to be able to create things for yourself and not have to rely on other people to get you what you need."