Armed with a diploma, camera and a ticket around the globe
By scott.poniewaz | May 21, 2006
Please click the image to see a gallery of more graduation pictures
It actually seemed almost anti-climactic. The long nights in the journalism building, endless photo critiques, classes and the 142 credits I’ve got under my belt in five years have come to an end. The journalism school is more than just a school at the University of Montana, it is a family, but a dysfunctional one at that. We’ve worked together, went to classes together, some of us have even dated each other. In the end, our hours of hard work will send us out in our separate directions. Some pursuing photojournalism careers, others venturing into different areas with hopes of freelancing for magazines.
I’ll be missing those long nights in the j-school basement tucked into the back of the Kaimin office editing photos and trying to finish a photo story page layout, or realizing I needed one more picture for a gas price story at midnight, then being convinced to go run out to Reserve Street to try and find a truck being unloaded at one of the big chain stores. That was one of many nights I spent on that green couch in the office to be awoken by the keys of Shane Svoboda, our business manager, opening the office door at 7:30 a.m.
So graduation day, May 13, has come and gone. A political speech of sorts on our responsibility to take control of our energy consumption by Gov. Brian Schweitzer at the main ceremony that mirrored his appearance on ‘60 minutes’ and a New York Times editorial he had written. The family has come and gone, my brother, the last to leave is leaving today. The friends have gone, my friend Eric Segalstad has just begun his internship at Skiing Magazine after receiving a masters in Print journalism, Tim Mayfield is headed to Tennessee, Owen Dodd headed back to Connecticut in preparation for the Peace Corps, just a few remain, but I too am on my way out the door.
Come Wednesday, I’ll be hitting I-90 to head back to Madison. A high school friend now living in Salt Lake City, Matt Peterson will be getting married to high school girlfriend Katie Krill. This is the first of my friends to be getting married, but I’m sure the first of many. After the quick stop in Madison, I will be heading overseas to teach photography courses in Southeast Asia. I fly over on May 31 to Bangkok, but do not actually arrive until June 2. While in Asia, I will be traveling to Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar (Burma), India and Cambodia and will be keeping updates on here as much as possible. While in Myanmar, however, things may be difficult to keep up with, as Internet is highly regulated and its been said that the government has charged up to $2,000 for emailing a photo.
With that in mind, friends, family and those interested, please register by clicking the button on the left toolbar and an email will make it to your mailbox every time I update the site.
Well, here I go! Venturing into countries with great history and current controversies armed with a diploma, a camera and a ticket across the globe. It doesn’t get much better than this!
Goodbye Missoula, I’ll miss you, but I’ll be back. I’ll leave you all and Montana with these words from John Steinbeck,
“I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love, and it’s difficult to analyze love when you’re in it.”
-John Steinbeck
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