STEM Pipeline Blog / August 7, 2019

This Summer at CASE – by Jashea Robinson

My name is Jashea Robinson and I am a rising sophomore at North Carolina Wesleyan. My current major is psychology, while my minor is marketing. These fields are of interest to me due to a personal experience related to my family. When I graduate from college, I will be the first in my family to do so. With my degree, I plan to work within the prison system to help improve the mental health of inmates. Often in prison, mental illnesses are not properly treated, and many mental illnesses can present themselves due to prison circumstances like isolation. I want to be the change within my household, and my community as well. 

This summer as a Communications Assistant at CASE, I was able to do something I learned to love, which was filming and editing. Within my first two weeks at CASE, I learned new video editing software, which was Adobe Premiere Pro. In the beginning, I was doubting my editing capabilities because there was a lot of footage that needed to be cut down to a ~28-second video. Before working at CASE, I was only familiar with one type of software to edit videos, so I was frustrated by how challenging it was to learn a new program. However, shortly after going through my mini temper tantrum with the computer and software, I started to figure out how to use the program to successfully edit my first project. I went from not knowing anything to knowing how to easily edit the next project I had on my to-do list. 

Even though I finished my first project (First Light bottle rocket launch video) late, it felt good to say “yay, I accomplished something!” once it was due. I was proud of myself. Throughout this process, I had to teach myself patience and resilience to overcome each obstacle. There were times when I just wanted to substitute this project for another one or pick my phone up instead, but I had to push through anyway. Besides, I like to finish what I start. 

Throughout the summer, I also had the opportunity to film programs that were happening at CASE, like the week-long biotechnology program for 100 girls, the ABE professional development institute for teachers, and Summer STARS. Some of my other assignments this summer were redesigning First Light logo, t-shirt design and cost analysis, administrative assistance, and event prep. 

I would love to thank CASE for making my experience so comforting, enjoyable, and worth me coming back day after day. This experience has been the highlight of my summer, and CASE has left an unforgettable impression on me that I will always share with others.