MCO4318 worked together to illustrate the special type of family we have. The Ramily includes people from all walks of life and everyone is welcome. Watch our video here.
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Battling cancer and college
Dalton Martin, a super senior at Texas Wesleyan University, might seem like an average college student on the surface but he is anything but average.
Every day Martin gets up, brushes his teeth, showers, gets dressed and eats breakfast. If it’s a weekday he packs his black Nike backpack, grabs his keys and heads out the door of his small but cozy apartment to go to school.
He’s double majoring in mass communication and physics. On top of that, he chose to add a minor in criminal justice. Anyone can tell that Martin is a very intelligent passionate guy.
He plays on a recreational softball team, hosts parties, and lives with his best friend Luke Zrostlik.
Martin tries to stay busy and live his life to the fullest, even when life gets difficult.
Martin beat leukemia when he was 12 years old but in early February of 2016, when he was 21, he was rediagnosed with chronic malignant myeloid leukemia.
“It’s a lot to deal with but you can either choose to be a baby about it or continue on with your life and make the best of it,” Martin said.
Most people that go through cancer treatment take a friend or family member with them for comfort. Martin chooses to go to his treatments alone. He hated feeling like the people that went with him were pitying him.
“I had hoped I wouldn’t have to deal with this again; it sucks but I’ll get through it,” Martin said.
Being a cancer patient in college isn’t easy. While Martin can host parties, he can’t drink any of the alcohol he buys for his friends until he’s healthy again. Every now and then he has to skip one of the softball games he loves to participate in because cancer takes such a toll on his energy levels. The games are only every other weekend so missing one game can keep him off the field for a month.
“Playing softball was one of my favorite things to do before I got diagnosed again,” Martin said. “I don’t see a reason to stop playing just because my leukemia came back.”
Martin isn’t defined by his cancer. He has cancer but he isn’t cancer. Martin is a hilarious, fun-loving, crazy-smart, great human. He tries to keep his focus on all of the things he is instead of the disease he has.
“There’s not a point in being sad and complaining about it all the time,” he said. “All that does is make me miserable so I just try to enjoy every day as much as I can.”
College is difficult to begin with, especially with two majors and a minor, and most would think that making good grades and fighting cancer would be impossible but Martin makes it seem almost effortless, Zrostlik said.
“He doesn’t let it get him down,” Zrostlik said. “He’s one of those people that just chooses not to get bummed out about his situation.”
Martin and Zrostlik are always goofing off and doing all the things most college guys do like watching sports, playing video games, and throwing the ball around.
Every now and then Martin will have a bad day when the side effects of chemotherapy are too much to handle on his own but otherwise, Zrostlik doesn’t notice that Martin is sick.
Martin doesn’t try to win sympathy from anybody and pity is one of his least favorite things ever, Zrostlik said.
“He’ll punch you in the arm and tell you to stop being a baby if you ever get too serious about his cancer,” Zrostlik said. “He doesn’t want people to feel bad for him just because he’s sick. He hardly ever asks anybody for favors. He’s his own person with or without cancer.”
Before his cancer came back Martin’s friends could count on him for everything, his close friend Steven Frederick said. That didn’t change after he was re-diagnosed. Martin is the kind of person that will drop everything just to help out a friend.
When Martin walks into a room everyone notices. He has this big bright smile that lights up when he talks. He’s quick-witted and cracks jokes, most of the time at the expense of others, all the while brightening the lives of those around him. His friends roll with the punches and try to get Martin back but they can’t easily match his quick comebacks.
“Cancer didn’t change who he is,” Frederick said. “He’s still Dalton. His illness doesn’t change anything about him; he’s still one of our closest friends and cancer doesn’t change any of that.”
It doesn’t matter to anybody that Martin has cancer. He’s still one of their best friends and a hilarious, great person, Frederick said.
“Cancer isn’t who Dalton is,” Frederick said. “Dalton is one of our best friends. He’s really smart, super funny, and a great person.”
The making of Dalton Martin- A timeline
Immigrate to Educate
Fernando Luis Santillan was born a Mexico citizen to his parents Esteban Santillan Ceniceros and Carolina Salas Reyes. His brother, Esteban Santillan Jr. was born a United States citizen to the same parents.
“So, my brother was born in El Paso, Texas because my mom decided to have him there and for me, she had the same plan,” Santillan said. “She stayed nine months in El Paso with one of my uncles and then on December 15, 1995, she decided to visit my grandma and that was the day I was born in Mexico. So, my brother is an American citizen and I’m Mexican.”
When Santillan was growing up in Mexico he knew Spanish and then learned Portuguese as his second language, he said. Santillan attended Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso Texas and was required to take English as a second language classes.
“I went straight to high school, which was different, because everyone in El Paso is bilingual so if you don’t know English you can speak Spanish, and when I came [to Texas Wesleyan University] it was so hard because my English wasn’t that good. And I don’t know; it was so hard to communicate.”
Santillan Jr. didn’t have to apply for a student visa to attend college in the United States but Luis Santillan did.
“To get a visa you have to apply in the United States Embassy in Mexico,” Santillan said. “You have to do your application online and then they give you this number but you have to go and pay.”
In order to start the visa application process, the applicant has to pay between $500 and $700. Then the United States Embassy schedules an appointment to meet with the applicant and they have to pay another fee between $1000 and $1500, according to mx.usembassy.gov.
“They ask you all these questions like, ‘What are you going to do? Where are you going to go to school?’”
After the appointment, the embassy can either accept the applicant or deny them.
“But, if they deny it you don’t get your money back,” Santillan said. “You don’t get your money back and you have to apply again.”
The entire process takes between three or four weeks and typically takes place after the visa applicant has applied and been accepted to American colleges, according to mx.usembassy.gov.
“It’s not hard it’s just a lot of money that you spend,” he said. “You have to apply to college before and then if you want to work in the US you have to apply for work [visa] first too.
“[The embassy has] to accept you and [the employers] have to say that they’re going to pay for your work visa if you want to have a work visa which is more money. It’s more time and it’s hard to get someone to employ you because no one wants to pay more money for you.”
Santillan said facing discrimination has gotten easier the longer he has been in America.
“I feel like my freshman year I got so, not bullied or anything, but like I can feel like people are talking shit about me or something like that. But now I don’t even care.”
Santillan ignores the negative comments he sometimes hears but discrimination against his family or his whole country is too big to ignore.
“I hate when people are like ‘Oh this Mexican chick’ and really she’s Cuban or Colombian like no that is so different,” he said. “Even the language is different. Like to me they speak weird; Americans and Canadians have the same language but a different accent and some words aren’t the same.”
Even when he’s around people that love him Santillan feels pressured to be a model citizen, he said.
“It’s hard because every time I wake up it’s like I have to be the best citizen,” Santillan said, “because if I do something wrong I can get deported. Like if I don’t stop at a stop sign or something like that they can pull me over and just yea…”
The culture in Northern Mexico and Texas aren’t extremely different but Texas has a more diverse population, Santillan said.
“The laws are almost the same,” he said. “It’s just like the food and the people. The people are white, black- we’re not used to that. In the city where I live it’s more mixed or white. We don’t really see black people or Asians but that’s it.”
After graduation in May 2019, Santillan plans to either stay in Texas or move to Georgia to attend law school.
“I don’t really know what’s going to happen with this whole Trump thing,” Santillan said. “If things are going to get worse or they’re going to get better, but I think if I hold my student visa I’m going to be fine.”
After graduating from law school Santillan plans to stay in America and apply for jobs. He wants to get dual citizenship and split the year living between Mexico and America.
“I want to have dual citizenship so that if something goes wrong here I can go back home and still work and still be able to buy a house and things like that.”
Santillan dreams of working for the United Nations. Dual citizenship would allow him the opportunity to represent Mexico or America.
Susporiea Harris, Santillan’s fiance said his Mexican heritage enriches her life.
“Overall, I feel like he’s a normal person,” Harris said. “His accent reminds me all the time but I don’t really feel any different.
“Although now with everything going on, I’m not really afraid of deportation, but I know how real it is. My friend’s boyfriend just got deported so it’s hard to think about.”
Harris is always encouraging Santillan to be a safe driver and to always use his blinker.
“[Deportation is] not something that I think is going to happen but it’s something that could happen,” Harris said.
Harris has already taken to Santillan’s Mexican heritage by trying authentic Mexican food.
“I love Mexican food. He takes me to places that look sketchy,” she said, “but the food is so good. You can really taste the difference from like Tex-Mex.”
Harris said Santillan is proud to be a Mexican.
“He thinks we’re patriotic but he has so much pride in Mexico like you can’t say one thing wrong,” she said. “But I like that though; that’s good.”
Matt Mayfield, Santillan’s roommate, believes their cultural differences bring them closer together.
Santillan is a dependable and trustworthy friend that would sacrifice anything for his friends’ happiness, said Matt Mayfield Santillan’s roommate.
“Friendship with Luis is something that can last a lifetime,” Mayfield said. “No matter where our paths take us I know we can always be there for each other.”
The cultural differences between Mayfield and Santillan allow them to form a strong bond through shared experiences, Mayfield said.
“Luis being from Mexico allows a cultural mix-up for a city-boy from Atlanta like myself. Trying different foods he makes, understanding what matters to each other, and even bonding over our differences makes our relationship awesome.”
Mayfield said Santillan can easily cheer up his friends and gives great advice.
“Now, it’s my senior year,” Mayfield said, “and I’m not only roommates but also like brothers with Luis.”
Rambler Media Group: Behind the Scenes
Ram TV sports access
Lighting shot types
Lighting is meant to create mood and obviously light a scene. Lighting is important to every scene in every photo and every scene as well as everyday life. It is important to everything from creating a happy sunny tone for a scene to creating an ominous scary setting. Lighting also allows the audience to see the setting and draw conclusions from what they see based on the lighting. It allows them to know if it is night-time or daytime as well as the time of year based on the quality of life.
Key lighting for two anchors is used to keep two subjects well-lit so the viewers can see details on each anchor. In order to set up this lighting scheme we had the key light over to the side of Heather and the fill light on my side. This was done because it kept the shadows off of my face and off of Heather’s face as well. The backlight was put behind us but raised up so it wouldn’t be as noticeable in the shot, since having lights in the background of shots can be distracting to viewers. The struggles we had with this scene were not having quite enough space on the stage area we used to put the lights and making sure the lights were set up in a way that created the least amount of shadows. Also only having two people working on a project that required two people to be in the shot was difficult. It would have been easier to have three people because then we could have looked at the lighting on both people before we started shooting.
Key lighting on one anchor wasn’t too difficult because it was set up a lot like the key lighting for two anchors. We just moved the key light and the fill light farther toward the front since there was only one talent and most of the shadows were on the front of my face. The backlight wasn’t moved. The struggles we faced creating this shot were just making sure the shadows weren’t prominent because lighting for anchors just need to have a neutral mood not a shadowy ominous mood but it can’t be overly lit either.
Our backlit shot was supposed to cause a mysterious effect and this shot captured this very well, since my face was covered up by shadows for the most part. The only light that was on my face was from a window that linked to a lit up room. Basically the only light we used to create this shot was a backlight. It would’ve been better if we had been in a totally dark room but the window in the media room is too big to cover. If the room had been completely dark the effect would have been more dramatic but it worked well enough considering the room we were in and the type of equipment we had.
Rembrandt lighting was really fun to create the key light was directed at me and then Heather bounced the light back onto my face using a poster board. If we had a real diffuser it would have created a more dramatic look but using a poster board worked in a pinch. This light creates a softer light and made the scene look airier and light hearted than some of the harsher lighting techniques. The only big struggle we had with this was finding something that bounced light well but there was a poster board in the room so we used the shinier side to bounce light back. Other than that one struggle the whole thing went pretty well considering the kinds of equipment we had available to us.
Split personality lighting is typically used in cinema scenes if a person is going through a significant internal struggle. The lighting suggests a darker and more troubled mood. It also makes the conflict that the character is going through seem more immediate. In order to achieve this shot we had a key light directly to the side of me and a backlight to still create a hairline. The struggle we faced in this scene was getting the shadow positioned correctly on my face. If we had positioned me in a better way, the effect could’ve been more dramatic.
There were lots of things we could’ve done better if the equipment and the room provided to us would’ve been a little higher tech. However, making due in tough situations is an important skill to have and this assignment definitely taught me that. Also lighting can cause an audience to feel certain things without a word ever being said about how the audience should perceive a certain scene.
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