Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post. (CC) JD Lasica, socialmedia.biz. Noncommercial reproduction permitted. Please credit as shown.
*Why publish a letter like this publicly? I feel it is something I want to share with others to show how someone like Arianna Huffington has the power to compel students to act. She re-energized me with her visit to Columbia College Chicago. I would like to express my gratitude by publishing this letter.
I also am working diligently to piece together a great arts & media summit that explores how students can become artists and media makers that animate democracy. I feel she is uniquely placed to get me in touch with other individuals who may be able to participate in this great event in Chicago.
I am in this moment where I have a great opportunity, a once in a lifetime opportunity. I have been able to helm the organization of a 2-day media conference. That's a privilege most students will never have. And, in this moment, I don't want to let it slip without exploring all the possibilities for making it an inspirational, compelling, and electrifying event.
So, I publish this to represent this point in my life and to share with others how individuals have the power to act and create community. I am taking what I have heard time and time again from people like Arianna Huffington and creating community with this summit that will take place on April 8th & 9th in Chicago.
Because in the end this is all about shining a light on the suffering so we can all get closer to a world that is much more humane and compassionate than the world we live in now.
Dear Arianna,
I am writing you this email to thank you for your visit to Columbia and your offer to involve students in a college section on Huffington Post. Your words resonated with me when you spoke about there being many stories of suffering and a need for citizens to shine a spotlight on those stories.
That has been my mission here at Columbia: to get a school of artists and media makers to find those stories and use their creativity and passion to bring attention to stories of suffering. I have spent the last two or three years of my college career working to engage students in media and in politics. I have made sacrifices and chosen to bring attention to key social issues instead of partying or living in a world of virtual reality.
In order to get closer to a college community where students are regularly asking how they can animate democracy, I am spearheading the organization of a major arts & media summit called "Art, Access & Action" that will take place on April 8thand April 9thof this year. It is the first event of its kind to occur on Columbia's campus, and I am pleased to say that I have reached out to local activists and local independent media groups and they will be part of the Summit. I am also very happy to say that stories of suffering will be told during the Summit as well.
I have been working on this for more than three months as part of a Young People For (YP4) fellowship, and I would like to know if you could forward this email to an editor or an outreach coordinator at the Huffington Post. We are currently trying to put together panels and invite speakers. And, we are looking for a keynote speaker who could galvanize students into seriously considering their role as artists and media makers in society. (*We have the capacity to have individuals talk to students through a video [Skype] connection if they cannot be present.)
We already have an established connection with Brave New Films, Free Press, Kartemquin Films, Open Video Alliance, Media Consortium, and the Center for Social Media. We would like to have a person affiliated with Huffington Post present at the Summit to discuss independent media.
If Huffington Post could aid a student as he completes the lineup/schedule for an event that will electrify and inspire his fellow students to act and not be demoralized in the face of suffering, he would be eternally grateful.
Sincerely,
Kevin Gosztola
kevin.gosztola@loop.colum.edu
