One of the single most changing experiences in my life was joining Husky Network, the media program taught by Benjamin Campbell. It was my sophomore year, coming back to school after COVID. I was very lonely and had not socialized much during the lockdown, but I had spent a lot of time studying film. Film was my social connection. The empathy and emotions I felt helped me live through others when I wasn’t really living my life.

When school started back up, I wasn’t looking forward to it too much. I had always hated school. I hated that I had no friends. I hated that the classes didn’t interest me. There was one exception on my schedule: The film class. Film class gave me hope. It was the first time I had ever actually made it into a class that I was passionate about. I had a dream of becoming a director and that class let me build my skills through practical experience. But the class would be nothing without the fantastic teacher, Benjamin Campbell, teaching it. 

Benjamin Campbell is not your average arts teacher. He didn’t try to force anything down your throat. He would rarely even force you to make something if you didn’t want to, but if you did, he would be ready to help with a smile. He would ask about our projects and help us sort out the details while building up our confidence in our abilities. He was the kind of teacher who greets you at the door with a genuine smile and makes you feel welcome. I ended up spending 3 years in his classes, and in my senior year, half of my 6-hour schedule was taught by him. If I could spend my life working in Husky Network as a career I would live a happy life. His class is the artist’s dream: a place where you are free to make whatever you want and to go wherever your passion takes you. 

When the school would try to censor us, Campbell would always go to bat for us. He would fight against the principals, the district, and any rules that inhibited our freedom of speech. He let us discuss whatever subjects interested us. So many passionate students have come out of his class, and I’m sure many more are going to come in the future.