For two hours, I ran on adrenalin. 
I was surrounded by seven of my friends, and we worked as a team broadcasting on the Jumbotron and the other video screens inside the Qubein Center the Train concert that Saturday night. I couldn’t believe how fast it went by. It felt like five minutes. After the concert, we clapped so loud and hit the table so hard we knocked the phone off. We were all just so happy.
I remember saying, ‘This is what I want to do after I graduate.”
This was my friend’s idea, Thomas Hart. He wanted to get used to the equipment before the basketball season started because we’ll be helping broadcast games on ESPN+. So, he asked, and High Point University said yes.
They gave us an opportunity to work on something big –– a concert by Train at the grand opening of the Qubein Center. And I got to do it with my friends. What a fun way to collaborate. Afterward, we climbed into a minivan and drove across town to Andy’s for ice cream. We were all so excited about what we had just done. It seems like other people were, too.
We shot a video on an iPhone showing Thomas and I working in the control room and posted a few clips on social media. We couldn’t believe how fast it spread and how many people watched our work, but it showed us how much support we had for what we did.
It also showed me how special the HPU community is. This is a purposeful, intentional, and caring place. The faculty and staff always go out of their way to provide students opportunities beyond the classroom. It’s what you can put on a resume and what can give you an edge wherever you go.
No matter where I go, I know I have the experience to be successful. I also know I have a university that will continue to support me.
Emmy Beck-Aden is a senior media production and entrepreneurship major from Athens, Ohio, and the director for HPU’s campus news show, “HPU All Access.” She and seven others broadcast the Sept. 25 Train concert on the Qubein Center’s video screens.