Bye Bye Brownie: Two Weeks to Go

Hi, my name is Shannon. I’m a few days from turning 21 years old. I go to Brown University. In less than two weeks I’ll arrive at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland.

This is my first real adventure.

I’m from a small town in rural Pennsylvania. I’ve never been further south than Florida, or further west than Iowa. I’ve never been out of the United States. Ravenous is not a strong enough word to describe my hunger for adventure and change, especially with this new chapter. Moving to Brown University was such a big step for me in my life that I began a habit of documentation. I never had a fancy camera or a strong eye, but I sometimes viewed life as a movie. A way that I help open or close new chapters of my life is either through daily journal entries, and video compilations. Each semester I collect all of the videos I’ve taken of friends, performances, little moments here and there - and try to create a story line, a short film always accompanied by good tunes. It’s more alive to me than just a handful of pictures. I can hear my friends laughter and see all of the ground my feet have traveled. To capture the essence of a time means a lot to me, and that's something I will most certainly be doing abroad in my new little slice of the world.