Rodney Coleman

As he explored the maze of his future, Rodney Coleman opened multiple doors to opportunity – only to find out he didn’t like where they led.

After graduating from high school in Long Island, he landed a job and briefly considered the military before a mentor advised him that college was the path to a more solid future. Thinking tech support was the way to go, he opted to study online at ITT Technical Institute, but decided that he preferred a more traditional classroom setting.

Then it was off Brooklyn College. Computers and IT services lost their appeal, and he shifted into general education and then graphic design. He took another leap, this time to Bramson ORT college, where he majored in game design and programming – until the school abruptly closed in January 2017. 

 “The way the school closed, it didn’t allow me to transfer and I had to take a semester off,” he said.

During that break, he took the time to consider his truly calling. He didn’t care for the technical aspects of game design as much as the stories they told, the worlds and experiences they created.

His brother had attended SUNY Broome and recommended the school. Rodney opted to major in Individual Studies, which gave him the opportunity to customize his degree – and allowed him to find his passion. He will transfer this fall to SUNY Buffalo State, where he will major in Television and Film Arts.

Learn more about Individual Studies.

“I really want to be a director, producer and screenwriter – everything to do with making films,” he said. His role models: Seth McFarlane and Quentin Tarantino, who follow their own vision in filmmaking.

At SUNY Broome, he honed the film-making skills he needs to make that dream a reality. One of his guides is instructor Chris Keaty in Communications and Media Arts, who teaches courses in film and TV arts, as well as media literacy.

“He broke it down in a way I could enjoy more,” Rodney said.

Learn more about Communications & Media Arts.

Rodney, who lives in the Student Village on campus, has a storyboard completed for his own project: a short film he’s working on, and hopes to complete once he transfers to Buffalo.

In a way, SUNY Broome functioned a bit like the storyboard for his project: a space where he can chart his ideas, and make the ultimate choices on how the story of his future will unfold.

“I’ve met a lot of people. I found out what I wanted to do here,” he said. “I found my passion and my goal — a lot of people never do that.”

Rodney Coleman

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