Eagle Tales: Lights, Camera, Action

Julia Gibson. Graphic by Jaylene Arnold.

I've worked at AU for a year and a half. Before that, I traveled across the Pacific Northwest with one of my good friends from college after graduating from William and Mary in 2022.

My job is to capture photos and videos for a lot of student affairs events, including Welcome Week, Family Weekend, student awards, and other moments throughout the year. I also help update the student affairs website and send out communications that go to thousands of students. A typical day includes darting across campus with my camera, sitting at my computer to edit content, working on the website, and sharing posts on social media. My office is in Butler Pavilion.

My go-to lunch is grabbing Panera or Qdoba and eating at the benches in front of the Kay Spiritual Life Center. My go-to order at the Bridge is hot chocolate.

Campus is at its prettiest when the leaves change in the fall and the cherry blossom trees bloom. My favorite place on campus to steal a quiet moment is Woods-Brown Amphitheatre. I also like the trees leading down to the tennis courts on the backside of the dorms. The most famous face I've seen on campus is actress Stephanie Hsu, who came to AU for Spirit of Change Week.

I show my AU spirit by decorating my office with lots of little eagle plushies that I've collected during my time here. We also recently got student affairs windbreakers, so I wear my AU merch around the city.

The person who helped show me the ropes is Andrew El-Kadi, director of technology and analytics for student affairs. I work with his team a lot. Sarah Rezendes, coordinator for programs and operations in the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement, is also an awesome friend and resource. I found my community at AU through my wonderfully supportive colleagues. I'm lucky my work touches the edges of so many areas.

My favorite day of the workweek is Wednesday when our office is in-person. My work-from-home rituals include cooking lunch and going for a walk to get some fresh air and reset.

When I'm not at work, you can find me birdwatching in DC. Owls are my favorite. I live across the street from the zoo, so I often walk there to see the animals. My hobbies include playing Dungeons and Dragons and reading comics. I also have a YouTube channel where I talk about animations. I'm a gamer, too, on PC and Nintendo Switch.

The last great book I read wasSpear by Nicola Griffith. The last great show I watched wasFallout. The last great meal I ate was salmon schnitzel at the Free Press in Cambridge, England.

If I wasn't at AU, I'd be an ornithologist or a National Park Service ranger. But my job at AU is best because of the people. Every time I walk through campus, I think this is not only a pretty place, but one filled with nice people doing cool things.

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