Ask any random person on campus, and it’s likely they won’t tell you St. Joe’s is a school for the arts. And to an extent, I might agree with them. There are plenty of other schools out there with far more recognized arts programs. It’s no surprise that some people here wouldn’t give a second thought about the arts at St. Joe’s. But I think my experience here says otherwise. My entire college career, both in and out of the classroom, has been fundamentally shaped by the arts.

Let me backtrack a bit.

My name is Tom. I’m a film major, an English minor, a frequent cast and crew member of the SJU Theatre Company, a member of the SJU Improv team, and president and head writer of the Followed By a Bear Student Theatre Company. Yes, that’s a lot of artsy things. Almost everything I do at this school is rooted in some sort of creative medium.

I’ll start with my classes. As a senior film major, I have been spending all year writing and producing a short film on my own. The process of this senior project has been (and still is) one of the most challenging, frustrating, anxiety-inducing things I’ve had to do in my life.

But at the same time, it’s something that I’m utilizing my four years of experience to create, showing off everything I’ve learned and creating something entirely my own vision.

My professors are working with me every step of the way to make sure it’s something I’m going to be proud of, and something I can put into film festivals and show to prospective employers.

This close relationship I’ve had with my professors has helped me grow so much on an artistic level. I fully believe that I would not have had as good a personal mentorship at any “higher” arts school, and that has made all the difference to me.

While the curriculum itself is admirable, I think the arts on this campus are at their strongest among the extracurricular groups. My experiences with St. Joe’s Improv, Followed By a Bear and all of the other creative arts groups on campus have helped me build new relationships with a lot of really talented people. I’ve learned so much from the friends I’ve made at this school, and have grown as an artist from the talents they’ve shared. These clubs encourage a level of collaboration and creativity that helps us all grow. Because of that, there is a big network of students on this campus who are helping each other create incredible things.

So yes, maybe St. Joe’s isn’t really considered an “arts school,” but there are countless opportunities around here to get involved in a really close-knit community of student artists. That’s the most important part to me: the community. At the end of the day, it’s not only what you’ve learned in class, but what you’ve learned from the talents of your peers that pushes you to excellence.