By: Mackenzi Van Engelenhoven
Source: http://www.usustatesman.com
Category: Film School Online
Nelson Hernandez’s life changed the first time he visited a Native American reservation in Omaha, Neb. After moving to Utah from his hometown of New York City, a friend who worked as a teacher on a reservation encouraged Hernandez to visit. He knew Hernandez was a basketball enthusiast and that basketball was a large part of reservation life.
On the reservation, Hernandez said he was shaken by what he saw. He witnessed the poverty that plagued the reservation, as well as the struggles of talented athletes to receive their high school diplomas and move up to play in college.
“It was one of those moments where you feel like your whole life has been leading to,” he said. “It was an experience that woke something inside of me that I didn’t know existed. I cried, and I said a prayer, and I knew something was going to be different in my life from then on.”
After his weekend on the reservation, Hernandez returned home to tell his wife he was quitting his job in order to start a program that would help young Native American students achieve their full academic and athletic potentials.
Hernandez formed a group of college athletes, both Native American and from other backgrounds, and traveled with them to reservations around the country to provide students with a motivational presentation about basketball that was designed to encourage students to finish high school to pursue careers as collegiate athletes.
“I am a basketball person,” Hernandez said. “I knew my work had to involve basketball. I figured we could be positive examples and give kids the message as to how to stay away from drugs and alcohol.”
With his group, Hernandez visited more than 100 reservations over the course of six years and talked to thousands of students. He said he’s had many parents call him and thank him for his positive influence in their children’s lives.
“I don’t think I’m the most important person in the world when it comes to helping Native American kids,” he said. “But I think I made a difference. We helped a lot of kids that feel like they have no hope understand they are not the only ones experiencing tough times. I think we made a difference.”
During his travels, he said he met the Schimmel family, whose daughter Shoni was an incredibly talented basketball player with the potential to play at the collegiate level.
By the time Shoni was 14, she had national recruiters interested in her. At the time, Hernandez said he was tired of constantly traveling to do his motivational speaking but was looking for a way to stay involved in helping Native Americans.
“I knew people who had made great documentaries,” he said. “And I thought ‘What if we document her life and process as she grows up and becomes a basketball player?’ It was a perfect storm as far as timing and meeting the family.”
At the time, Hernandez had previous experience in the film industry and said he recruited a team of producers, including Kelly Rippa.
For two years, Hernandez said, his documentary crew filmed Shoni Schimmel’s life as she became a rising star in the high school basketball circuit and went on to play at University of Louisville as one of the best female basketball players in the country.
“I wanted to show through the movie that kids can change their lives through basketball,” Hernandez said. “And I wanted to show the reality of modern Native American reservations. Most people have no concept of it. They think they still live in teepees.”
The premiered April 26, 2011, at the Tribeca Film Festival, and also aired on TLC. It has received critical acclaim, and Hernandez said he was proud of the positive reviews. Though the film was what he called a “passion project” that gave him no money, Hernandez said he’s proud of the result.
“It was a great experience, and to see the film do so well is even better,” he said. “It’s still amazing to me that people want to watch something I made.”
Currently, Hernandez has put his work with Native American reservations on hold to pursue his academic career. After attending several universities with no success, Hernandez said he found his passion at USU.
“For a while I lost direction in my life,” he said. “But then I came to USU, and I was completely caught off guard. Here was everything I wanted. Becoming an Aggie was truly the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Hernandez, who is a senior majoring in interdisciplinary studies, works as the video coordinator for Aggie basketball.
“Everyone at USU has been so supportive of me,” he said. “I love Logan and feel blessed to be living here. Utah State is everything I want.”
Source: http://www.usustatesman.com/student-s-life-changed-by-visit-to-native-american-reservation-1.2717083#.T2mrmdk2UoQ
Source: http://www.usustatesman.com
Category: Film School Online
Nelson Hernandez’s life changed the first time he visited a Native American reservation in Omaha, Neb. After moving to Utah from his hometown of New York City, a friend who worked as a teacher on a reservation encouraged Hernandez to visit. He knew Hernandez was a basketball enthusiast and that basketball was a large part of reservation life.
On the reservation, Hernandez said he was shaken by what he saw. He witnessed the poverty that plagued the reservation, as well as the struggles of talented athletes to receive their high school diplomas and move up to play in college.
“It was one of those moments where you feel like your whole life has been leading to,” he said. “It was an experience that woke something inside of me that I didn’t know existed. I cried, and I said a prayer, and I knew something was going to be different in my life from then on.”
After his weekend on the reservation, Hernandez returned home to tell his wife he was quitting his job in order to start a program that would help young Native American students achieve their full academic and athletic potentials.
Hernandez formed a group of college athletes, both Native American and from other backgrounds, and traveled with them to reservations around the country to provide students with a motivational presentation about basketball that was designed to encourage students to finish high school to pursue careers as collegiate athletes.
“I am a basketball person,” Hernandez said. “I knew my work had to involve basketball. I figured we could be positive examples and give kids the message as to how to stay away from drugs and alcohol.”
With his group, Hernandez visited more than 100 reservations over the course of six years and talked to thousands of students. He said he’s had many parents call him and thank him for his positive influence in their children’s lives.
“I don’t think I’m the most important person in the world when it comes to helping Native American kids,” he said. “But I think I made a difference. We helped a lot of kids that feel like they have no hope understand they are not the only ones experiencing tough times. I think we made a difference.”
During his travels, he said he met the Schimmel family, whose daughter Shoni was an incredibly talented basketball player with the potential to play at the collegiate level.
By the time Shoni was 14, she had national recruiters interested in her. At the time, Hernandez said he was tired of constantly traveling to do his motivational speaking but was looking for a way to stay involved in helping Native Americans.
“I knew people who had made great documentaries,” he said. “And I thought ‘What if we document her life and process as she grows up and becomes a basketball player?’ It was a perfect storm as far as timing and meeting the family.”
At the time, Hernandez had previous experience in the film industry and said he recruited a team of producers, including Kelly Rippa.
For two years, Hernandez said, his documentary crew filmed Shoni Schimmel’s life as she became a rising star in the high school basketball circuit and went on to play at University of Louisville as one of the best female basketball players in the country.
“I wanted to show through the movie that kids can change their lives through basketball,” Hernandez said. “And I wanted to show the reality of modern Native American reservations. Most people have no concept of it. They think they still live in teepees.”
The premiered April 26, 2011, at the Tribeca Film Festival, and also aired on TLC. It has received critical acclaim, and Hernandez said he was proud of the positive reviews. Though the film was what he called a “passion project” that gave him no money, Hernandez said he’s proud of the result.
“It was a great experience, and to see the film do so well is even better,” he said. “It’s still amazing to me that people want to watch something I made.”
Currently, Hernandez has put his work with Native American reservations on hold to pursue his academic career. After attending several universities with no success, Hernandez said he found his passion at USU.
“For a while I lost direction in my life,” he said. “But then I came to USU, and I was completely caught off guard. Here was everything I wanted. Becoming an Aggie was truly the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Hernandez, who is a senior majoring in interdisciplinary studies, works as the video coordinator for Aggie basketball.
“Everyone at USU has been so supportive of me,” he said. “I love Logan and feel blessed to be living here. Utah State is everything I want.”
Source: http://www.usustatesman.com/student-s-life-changed-by-visit-to-native-american-reservation-1.2717083#.T2mrmdk2UoQ
