First Impressions (Written By AmbassadorNique)

I’m a grad student! WOAH! The wait is over, and classes have started. My inbox is overflowing with e-mails that I get by the minute, and I am doing my best to balance work, school, my social life, on campus talks, meet and greets, my hobbies, writing, photography, my family, my girlfriend, sleep, exercise, hygiene and oh yeah… READING! Don’t get me wrong, in no way am I complaining… I am loving every second of this! Actively thinking about where I will be interning next summer and what my capstone project will be. I have some cool ideas up my sleeve that I will save for a later date.

I’ve met so many people in the last two weeks I cannot even begin to remember everyone’s name. Nevertheless I hope I have left a smiling impression and I will do whatever it takes to stay committed. I am very fortunate to be in a position to learn, grow, and move closer to achieving my goals with each passing moment. I am the author of my own story and while I can’t be everything to anybody, I can commit to myself and be exactly the man I want to be.

Be GREAT,

Domonique Meeks
AmbassadorNique Productions

Why #HackTheCD Matters! (Created By AmbassadorNique)

My Hawaii Digital Story (AmbassadorNique Productions)

My Hawaii Digital Story (AmbassadorNique Productions) from AmbassadorNique Productions on Vimeo.

Rejuvenation… Peace… Tranquility…. Family… Love… Life… Health…

The ability to escape from the noise…
I came… I saw I learned, I grew…

It’s funny how life and the universe work. You wait for something to happen to the point that you count down the days. Looking out the window of the airplane it still felt unreal.

Two weeks of adventure on the island of Oahu. I was able to spend time with my grandmother as I learned more about my families history, her life, and family traditions. I hiked Diamond and Koko Head, checked off most but definitely not all of my to do in Hawaii list, was able to relax and even parasail. I saw two friends get married, spent time with others and even attended a Luau at the Polynesian Culture Center

What excited me most about this trip was that I would finally have the time to adventure and relax with my amazing and beautiful girlfriend.

Enjoy,

AmbassadorNique

Inspiration: Clint Smith The Danger of Silence (TED Talk)

Thank you for sharing Madi Symone!

1. Read critically
2. Write conscienceless
3. Speak clearly
4. Tell your truth

AmbassadorNique Productions Presents: “Be The Change” (Digital Story)

For almost a year I’ve wanted to create this digital story. Starting with nothing, there were many factors that slowed down the process. Nevertheless, the blame could only be placed on my shoulders. The most challenging hurdle was finding the story. For months I could not figure out what story I wanted to tell. I bounced around themes and while my original story tied in music, something i’ve always loved, this was not the story I wanted to share.

While I feel that with more time this video could have been 10x better, a lesson I was taught was that you must release art and keep working in order to grow to your full potential. I have not been following this rule, but I hope the change starts here!

In my opinion social change comes with education and collaboration. In order to break down barriers we much share our stories and shred the assumptions and ignorance that we are fed in our society. This is my first digital story of many. I hope to not only share more of myself, but more of my friends, my family and my community. You should too.

-AmbassadorNique

Inspiration: Do The Right Thing 25 Year Anniversary Mini Doc

Inspiration: #IAMREVOLT – Julian Mitchell (Social Media Director)

AmbassadorNique does the ALS Challenge

AmbassadorNique does the ALS Challenge from AmbassadorNique Productions on Vimeo.

Jeremy Higuchi & Jonathan Higuchi… ALS awareness ice bucket challenge accepted!! What’s cooler than being COOL?!

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. There is no cure to this disease.

While most times I choose not to participate in viral stuff like this, a close friend of mine has a family member who is battling with ALS. My love and thoughts are with her and her family.

Special thanks to Diana & Jessica for talking me into doing it, the ice and the camera work!

Ambassadornique 

Inspiration: How Education Kills Creativity (Ken Robinson TED Talk)

As I near the days of the beginning  of my masters program I am reminded of the flaws in the American the WORLDS education system and its curriculum. I am challenged with the need to stay creative, stay inspired, and to constantly think outside of the norm. The goal is to make the rules and not to fall into the traps of being one whom abides by them. I hope this inspires others as much as it inspired me! 

-Ambassador

August Announcements (Written By AmbassadorNique)

AUGUST ALREADY!

Definitely crazy to actually say that. Summer is almost over and fall is upon us. While it’s gone by fast I have been fortunate enough to have made great memories. Moving forward I have some big stuff coming up! Some parts of my life are coming to an end (working my 9 to 5) and others are just getting started! Without further or due, the updates….

We The People (UPDATE): I’M WORKING! I promise! I also understand that once graduate school starts my life will be shut down for quite some time. As I type this I am waiting for videos to sync in the background. I definitely want to plan an event where I can invite close friends and people that helped sponsor and make this all possible. This month I plan to have everything in place and by September be working on the finishing touches, transitions lighting, sound etc.

Graduate School: Wow this is approaching fast and just around the corner. I am mentally prepping by reading and finding the resources and networks that I will need in order to make it through this journey and be successful. Also I there are a few opportunities I would like to take advantage of as well.

Health: I’ve been working toward eating smarter and doing what I can to put extra steps in my day. I am very excited for my IMA membership and have started to cook more and eat out less.

Finances: I’ve been doing a very poor job of saving money and this is something I definitely want to do better at. I can however say that the money that I have been spending for the most part has been going towards things that I consider an investment to my future. Definitely need to crack open some Dave Ramsey.

Hawaii: Speaking of investments! I will go to Hawaii for 12 days on August 15th! I will visit my grandmother and Aunt on a much needed REAL vacation! I will continue to work on my film, read and EAT! Basically just scratched the last two points out. Just kidding! I will definitely work to continue to hike while I am out there and take a lot of pictures. Free housing, psh can’t past that up! J

Little Dragon: Upon my return I am excited to go see Little Dragon perform live at Showbox Sodo! I love shows and I love to travel!

Digital Story Telling: One of the things I look forward to doing is collecting the digital stories of my peers who do art around the city. I think I will use Premier and an online platform called WEVideo. I will also try to step my photography game up and look for a cool place on campus to shoot some videos.

Japanese: I hope to return to Japan next summer and therefore I am looking for a language partner.

Personal Growth: Some things I am working on personally are consistency in everything I do from everything listed above. I also would like to become better at following up on networks.

Thank you for reading.

AmbassadorNique