All In My Head

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In her personal project, In My Head, WKU senior Lydia Schweickart, of Louisville, Ky., reflects on her experience recovering from a traumatic brain injury and how it affected her mental wellbeing, the people she loves, and the path of self-discovery that it provoked.

 

ABOUT THIS VIDEO

In March of last year, I was in a car wreck and suffered a severe Traumatic Brain Injury. I received medical attention for 10 weeks: 1 week in the ICU of Skyline Medical Center, 2 weeks at Frazier Rehabilitation Institute, and 7 Weeks attending Frazier Outpatient Therapy. After the wreck I found myself in the hospital, not knowing why, lost and confused. The recovery process involved having to relearn everything that I knew before the wreck; Walking, Eating, Writing, Fine Motor Skills, Communication, Memory, etc. Having a sense of identity is an essential part of the human experience, and the car wreck stripped me of that identity.

Although my brain tissue has recovered, I will still always question whether a trait, a lapse in memory, slow reaction time, etc. are the result of something related to the car wreck. Because my brain has suffered this damage, I’ll never be the same person I was before the TBI, so it’s like I’ll never “fully” recover. When I started my recovery process I was a blank slate, learning and gathering information about who I was before and trying desperately to be that person again. One of the biggest obstacles was coming to terms with the fact that being that person again isn’t an option for me.

Accepting that I will be forever changed helped me to stop mourning the Lydia lost in that intersection. Recovery became a way to learn more about the Lydia I am now. Even though I have changed, the support of my family and loved ones never did. I didn’t have to go through this exploration alone. Having a traumatic brain injury is like rewriting who you are, and my car wreck provoked an identity crisis that forced me to ask myself, “Who Am I?”

One year after the accident, I’m still figuring out who I am and am in no rush to find the answer. To see the entire project, click here.

Posted in: Photojournalism Projects Class

These Days: A 2020 Senior Class Project

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A multimedia enterprise that captures the emotional journey Americans have collectively experienced during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. This project aims to highlight how the universally shared experience of grief deeply connects those who would otherwise be strangers.

THESE DAYS TRAILER

To see the entire project, please click here

 

ABOUT

For the last four years at Western Kentucky University we’ve sat through literally hundreds of photojournalism program lectures about  telling powerful and personal stories through the lenses of our cameras. We’ve been taught that great stories come from talking to people on the street and sharing moments with people in their homes. In the middle of our last semester we were completely stripped of those tools. As a class, each of us were deep into the production of our capstone projects; for many of us they would be the highlights of our careers at WKU.

With the finish line in sight, we were thrown an unprecedented curveball. We’d obviously heard about the virus, but we took for granted the potential it had to disrupt our lives. We left campus excited for spring break, saying “see you later” instead of “goodbye”. Just like that we were locked down and our finish line moved impossibly out of sight. “What now?” Was on everyone’s mind but in no time discussions began on a group project to document the evolving crisis.

This was a learning experience for all of us. We learned how to connect with people through our webcams. How to tell stories about life and humanity through the lens of someone else’s iPhone. Without ever touching our cameras, we collected stories from people across the country. Without ever meeting in person, we collaborated digitally to storyboard, produce, and edit a project with dozens of unique voices. We put into practice perhaps the most essential skill we’ve learned; how to adapt and overcome.

Now we look towards the future. Searching for work in an uncertain job market, moving away from the college town we’ve all called home, no chance to say goodbye to our favorite diners and dive bars. A more bitter than sweet final semester, to say the least. Through all of the ups and downs of these days, there is one thing that helps us get through. When someone asks in 20 years what we did during the COVID-19 pandemic, we can show them how we all overcame our historic circumstances. 

Posted in: Photojournalism Projects Class

Life in Quarantine

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The non-majors PJ131 Introduction to Photography class took to turning their camera on themselves, the life around them and their families as they found themselves quarantined the second half of the spring semester due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. We are proud of their efforts and wanted to take a moment to applaud their work and recognize their efforts.

“The first thing I’m doing when quarantine is over is going to church,” Catherine Taylor said on Sunday. Much like her husband, she has missed very few Sundays and longs to be back in the church building she grew up in, rather than praying virtually on her front porch. “I know that church isn’t just a building, but I can’t wait to be worshiping with my church family again.” she added. Photo by Rachel Taylor

Stephen Taylor follows along in his Bible as his pastor reads Psalm 23 through video. “These days I’m spending Sundays mornings on my front porch watching my preacher on a Facebook video and I think it’s normal. How crazy is that?” Stephen said he’s never missed church more than two or three Sundays in a row his entire life. Now he’s missed nearly seven because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by Rachel Taylor

“In all my years of preaching, I never could’ve imagined doing something like this.” Brother Grant Minton has been the pastor at the Auburn Cumberland Presbyterian Church for over 25 years and has been a pastor his entire life. “The worst part is the empty seats. Preaching to my phone just isn’t the same.” Photo by Rachel Taylor

As Lara Levine is painting, Tiger, one of three cats comes to visit. He is intrigued by the paint brush and sniffs it, ending up getting paint on his nose. “Tiger is a funny cat and is always sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong.” Photo by Samantha Levine

 

 

 

While the COIVD-19 pandemic takes over, I try to find the light in the situation no matter how impossible it seems. Continuing to find myself and blossom like I was in my first year of college has taken an unexpected turn, but I will make do. After every storm there is a rainbow, you just have to look for it. Photo by Grace Bailey

 

Luke Taylor, a Western student, goes to the grocery store so his grandparents can stay at home. “You never know how much you hate being lazy until you’re forced to be lazy. Sometimes, I go to the store because I have nothing better to do.” said Taylor. There is no question many share Taylor’s feelings, even during quarantine the roads of Bowling Green are packed to the brim as people try to escape the boredom of their homes. Photo by Raaj Banga

 

 

Derrick Russell, 9, looks out the window with his backpack thinking of memories of going to school. “I miss my teacher and friends, I don’t want to stay in the house anymore.” With hopes to everything getting better he is currently taking classes online. Photo by Vonn Pillman

 

 

 

 

Yvette Calhon, 60, cheers up her grandson who misses going to school. “I understand that every kid his age wants to be around others his age this is very hard for him.” With hopes of everything going back to normal she gives him a new toy everyday to make him happy. Photo by Vonn Pillman

 

Photographer Kennedy Gott tries to find a way to continue to take portraits while in self-quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing is becoming very frustrating to her because she misses being able to do the things she loves and see the people she loves. “I wanted to use this blanket to show this feeling of ‘being trapped’ within my home,” she thought. Photo by Kennedy Gott

 

Paul Driehaus sits on the stairs, rather annoyed with Josie, the dog. They’ve had a long few weeks, with him not being able to go out. Paul is not taking too well to being stuck, as he likes to be independent. Photo by Alex Driehaus

 

Michael Frausto secures the placement of his mask to avoid contamination. Michael says, “I must do everything in my power to ensure safety of my daughter.” Photo by Karla Frausto

 

This moment in my life is very strange and I’ve found myself struggling to find balance between healthy and unhealthy behaviors. My cigarette intake is up to two packs per day. I’m also finding it hard to convince myself to bathe, as it’s really my only big to-do. In this photo I’m embracing the yen and the yang. Photo by Missy Johnson

 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, several volunteers help to bag groceries contains essential foods for the Ephram White Park Food Drive in Bowling Green, KY. Photo by Kennedy Gott

 

Two sisters run around in the creek through Cherokee Park. “I love watching them play in the water, they just have so much fun!,” their parents said, Even though these girls can’t be around their friends the ability to get out and enjoy the weather brought big smiles to their faces. Photo by Alyssa Gordon

 

Carley Kayabasi sits at Cherokee Park with her mask on while visiting her friend. She says, “With such pretty weather it has been awesome to social distance in the outdoors with a close friend.” Photo by Alyssa Gordon

 

On April 14th, her fourth week of self-isolation and social distancing, WKU freshman and student journalist Cassady Lamb takes a slow shutter self-portrait in her house located in Louisville, KY. Louisville currently has hundreds of reported coronavirus cases, and citizens of the Commonwealth are urged by Governor Beshear to stay in their homes if applicable. Photo by Cassady Lamb

 

Ken and Leslie Kann have found taking walks around their neighborhood to be beneficial for their mental health. “Getting some fresh air outside helps life feel a little more ‘normal'”, Leslie says. “A change of scenery no matter how small is definitely nice.” Photo by Elly Kann

 

Self-portrait by Fatimah Alhamdin.

 

Self-portrait by Raaj Banga.

 

This very small one bedroom apartment located on Fairview Ave.houses three cats and one dog, making Johnsons time of isolation less lonely. Photo by Missy Johnson

Posted in: Class Work, Introduction to Photojournalism

How are Kentuckians facing the future of work?

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The Way We Work

In place of coal miners stand robotic machines. Instead of farmhands, Bluetooth tracking-chips count cattle. Older folks are on their toes, redefining, revamping and reconsidering their work, while younger people are charging boldly and soberly toward their specialized and technical careers. As the workforce transforms at breakneck speed, it seems that if Kentuckians don’t take advantage of the myriad modern technological opportunities, they’ll be left in the coal dust. The Way We Work follows farmer, Mark Chapman, former coal-mine worker William Stevens and high school senior Kendall Pearson as they navigate the tricky job market and determine what may career path may be best for them.

SEE THE PROJECT HERE

 

Posted in: Advanced Short Form Doc, Student Work

Eleven years later and still waiting for answers

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2019, 8.29 A.M. LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – The sun has a hard time getting through the curtains in Karr's apartment in The Highlands, a neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky. Her eyes are sensitive to light, so there is a purpose for the darkness. She walks around the kitchen, feeding her service dog, Blaze, and gets dressed in a flat cap, shirt and pants, leaving her joggers in the bedroom. She needs to move on after a rough night, she explains. The sheets were messy when she woke up. Blaze was laying on her chest; he does this to stop her night terrors. The anxiety returned when she placed her head on the pillow last night. She found no peace.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2019, 8.29 A.M. LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – The sun has a hard time getting through the curtains in Karr’s apartment in The Highlands, a neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky. Her eyes are sensitive to light, so there is a purpose for the darkness. She walks around the kitchen, feeding her service dog, Blaze, and gets dressed in a flat cap, shirt and pants, leaving her joggers in the bedroom. She needs to move on after a rough night, she explains. The sheets were messy when she woke up. Blaze was laying on her chest; he does this to stop her night terrors. The anxiety returned when she placed her head on the pillow last night. She found no peace.

 

A Wounded Soldier

WKU Journalism and Photojournalism students, Sara Krog and Sofie Mortensen tell the story of Veteran Megan Karr who suffers PTSD caused by her experience of sexual assault by two colleagues, while serving in the military.

“After the incident I changed, not necessarily for the better, but for the worse. I struggle a lot, and that struggle has been tough, especially for the people who knew me before. I guess this is what affected my family situation.”

SEE THE COMPLETE STORY

 

Posted in: Advanced Short Form Doc, Class Work, Student Work, Through Our Eyes

WKUPJ winners 2020 Eyes of History – White House News Photographers Association

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Congratulations to WKU Gabriel Scarlett the 2020 Student Still Photographer of the Year for the White House News Photographers Association annual photography and video competition.

Michelle Hanks 2nd place in Feature: Long Term Video Project. A video project  she documented during her semester abroad at the Danish School of Media.  Her story is about Mahmoud Bayragdar,who fled the Syrian civil war and is trying rebuild his life in Denmark.

 

Posted in: Class Work, Contest Winners, Photojournalism Projects Class, Student Work

We Can Do Hard Things – by Emma Steele

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We Can Do Hard Things

by Emma Steele

To view the entire story visit: We Can Do Hard Things

“You’ll never get over it. You don’t want to,” Davidson said. “It changes you.”

Randall Davidson brings roses to his wife Megan’s grave every Sunday. “Roses symbolize love,” Davidson said.

“There’s a part of me that hasn’t accepted it,” Davidson said. Randy has been left to raise their 8-year-old son, Drew, while still living with the grief of losing the love of his life.

Megan died on July 27th, 2019 from a fatal car accident. Her death affected the lives of all 1,000 people who showed up to her funeral service. Megan was a wife, mother, nurse, church minister, and athlete, and was loved by everyone she met.

Randall Davidson lost his wife, Megan, on July 27th 2019 in a fatal car accident. Every Sunday Randall brings flowers to Megans grave in Tompkinsville. “You’ll never get over it”, Davidson said, “You don’t want to.”

Drew taking a break from his video game to look at pictures of him and his mom. “Every time Megan was on the couch trying to relax, Drew would always jump up on her and try to get her attention. He loves his mom,” Davidson said.

Every night, Randy reads bedtime stories and says prayers with Drew. “He’s the reason I’m still breathing,” Davidson said.

Posted in: Picture Stories, Student Work, Through Our Eyes

Family Values – A look at the roll of a midwife in Kentucky.

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Family Values – A look at the roll of a midwife in Kentucky.

Story by Lily Thompson,

To view the entire story visit: Family Values

Tracey Moore is a midwife, and so much more.

With kind eyes and a mother’s touch, Tracey catches babies around the western and central regions of Kentucky. She is on call 24/7, 52 weeks a year. She’s a home birth midwife, one of few in the state. Tracey helps women of all kinds, she wants each and every woman to feel respected and loved through one of the most sacred moments of their life.

Tracey checks “baby noodle’s” heartbeat in Rosie Hunt’s belly. The couple didn’t pick a name for their baby until after the birth and lovingly referred to the baby as “baby noodle.”

June Hunt was born at 7:13 p.m. on Nov. 8, 2019 to Rosie and Alex Hunt. June was born on the same couch her older sister was born a couple of years before.

Tracey leans on her husband for comfort after telling him about a complicated and upsetting birth she had attended hours before. She had to leave the house early in the morning to attend to the birth, and missed church and an outing with her family due to midwifery commitments. “For us, faith in christ has been the solid rock we’ve needed, because it’s not been always been easy,” David said. “That faith has helped us have grace. When couples have hard times, they can either break or build together. Midwifery has shown us in our hearts where we were at with each other and challenged us to be better in Christ.”

Posted in: Picture Stories, Student Work, Through Our Eyes

2019 Capstone Senior Projects

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Here at WKUPJ, we are excited to present a collection of the 2019 PJ436 Projects course final thesis. Students complete their photojournalism curriculum by enrolling in a semester-long instructional “workshop” that provides individual guidance and hands-on practical experience in producing a story that covers a topic of their choosing.

 

Life After Death

How grief forever changes a life

BY KATHRYN ZIESIG

Death is the one certainty everyone will one day have to face. However, when facing the death of a person you love, the grief can change your life forever. This documentary explores three stories of loss and chronicles the difficulties and years of heartache that come with the death of a loved one.

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For The Love of Jude

After a tragic accident, Katii Bishop searches for a new normal

BY ABIGAIL DOLLINS

Katii Bishop, a mother of four, copes with loss after the tragic death of her daughter from a car accident on December 28, 2018. The accident has left Katii searching for what life looks like without her daughter, Jude. Katii realizes, though, that although time moves on, the grief doesn’t necessarily get easier.

SEE MORE

 

 

High Hopes

Two stories of people in Kentucky who devote their lives to help those struggling from addiction in a state hit hard by the opioid crisis

BY KENDALL WARNER

This project brings together two sides of the opioid crisis in Kentucky. A personal story and a story about the epidemic on the frontlines accompanied with data on the epidemic in the state of Kentucky and resources for addicts and their families. The personal story is about Nikki Arnold-Strunck who lives in Richmond, Kentucky. Nikki lost her son, Brendan Strunck, to a heroin overdose when he was 24-years old. Now she travels around Kentucky to places like recovery centers and jails sharing their story and how his overdose effected her in hopes that she can change peoples lives. The story shares how she continues to cope with the loss of her son three years later and uses her story as part of that. The story on the front lines is through the eyes of members of the Louisville Fire Department about the multiple overdose calls they run on a daily basis, in a State hit hard by the opioid crisis.

SEE MORE

 

 

Spokes in the Wheel

Finding a balance between being competitive and having fun is something John and Jenny Lachowicz strive for as they raise their three sons Sam, Jacob, and Van, through BMX

BY EVAN MATTINGLY

In Clarksville, TN., the Lachowicz family are finding their roots and planting a plentiful garden. While juggling homeschooling, racing, and social interaction, bicycles bring this family closer in ways that cannot be explained but only witnessed. A wheel cannot spin without each spoke, much like a family cannot function smoothly without each member. Each individual, pulling and pushing at times, but always together in the end. The rambunctious family of 5, hold each other accountable and look at every day as a new day to make it a great one. This journey is far from over and they do not plan on stopping anytime soon.

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Revolving Doors

How a jail in rural Kentucky is working to break the cycle of addiction and recidivism

BY SKYLER BALLARD

In a state with the second highest incarceration growth rate in the country, Butler County Jail is seeing the direct effects of incarceration for addiction. In an effort to break the cycle of recidivism, the local jail is focusing on rehabilitation, offering many programs for inmates who want to start their road to recovery while serving time.

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A Mother’s Choice

Women across Kentucky fight for the legal rights of midwives

BY MHARI SHAW

In the state of Kentucky, midwives are not legally allowed to attend a home birth due to laws that have not been updated since 1975. Practicing midwives are put into a system that does not recognize the work that they are and have been doing for years. On March 13, 2019 senate bill 84 an act relating to Certified Professional Midwives, passed through the House and the Senate.

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Leaving a Mark

Accepting the spots that make them unique

BY EBONY COX

Spreading awareness about vitiligo in hopes that if someone sees another person who has it and looks different, they will be accepted instead of treated differently. Vitiligo is a skin condition that causes the loss of pigment in blotches. It can affect the skin on any part of the body regardless of age, race, or gender.

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Bound By Love

Defining the word family may be a hard task for some, but for Ashley Purcell, family is defined by one thing; love

BY KELSEA HOBBS

After having two children of her own and living a comfortable life with her small, but content, family, Ashley felt that something was missing. After talking with Scott and her two children, John and Ava, Ashley and her family collectively decided that what they were missing was an opportunity to share the wonderful life they had built for themselves. After being made aware of the foster care system in their community through their church, the Purcells decided the best way to share their lives with those in need was to become foster parents.

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To Be Like You

International students work to find their place in an American Society

BY TYGER WILLIAMS

Students at Geo International High School work to become more than just seen as an international, but to be someone like you. They seek to be successful in life, language, and learning to develop who they are in this diverse world.

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Just a Regular Joe

It’s not easy being a man. It’s especially not easy being a transgender man active duty in the US Army

BY JOSEPH BARKOFF

Follow Nic Maloney’s journey through finding himself and finding love. Stepping off the ledge, past the point of no return, transgender people, once certain steps are taken, there is no going back. Maybe he sometimes wishes he was born a man, but he wouldn’t be who he is today, and with who he is today. He has no regrets, and wouldn’t change a thing. “Even though it sucked.” It is not a cookie cutter life, or love. He met his wife when he was a woman. His wife identifies as a lesbian, after spending most of her life believing she was straight. To everyone on the outside, they appear as a straight couple. For her, she struggles with Nic’s identity taking the front, but feels she needs to protect him, so they don’t always tell new people the whole story.

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Within Our Border

The Southern Border creates conflict between two countries, a president, and migrants seeking asylum

BY MICHAEL BLACKSHIRE

The Southern Border has been a hot button issue in American society in recent years. The project is a news piece which focuses on how the southern border affects society in recent years. The project does not focus solely on an individual, but is more of the bigger picture of how society functions between the United States and Mexico. The idea of the southern border between the 2006 Border fence Act and President Trump saying “Build that wall” in front of thousands of supporters shows the growth of the southern border fence; and how many asylum seekers every year wait for their claim. Within our borders, our society creates a conflict between two countries within the same continent.

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Posted in: Photojournalism Projects Class