TRAil of A TERRoRisT - Point Park University

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Students Photograph Youth to Increasethe Potential of Adoption through thePittsburgh Heart GalleryBy Kate Beard MillerDouble ExposureFrom left: Luke, William, Allias.Photos by (respectively): EmilySniegocki, junior photographymajor; Molly Foster, sophomorephotojournalism major; andChelsey Engel, sophomorephotojournalism major.After countless hours of practicingthe technical aspects of digitalphotography, 14 Point Park studentsclosed their books and took theircameras on location to the UniversityCenter for a practical, real-lifeassignment that could lead to matchingchildren and teens with adoptivefamilies.Chris Rolinson, assistant professorin the School of Communication,encouraged his students to engagethe subjects of the photo shoot:four boys, between the ages of 10and 17, who are part of foster careor residential programs for childrenwho have been removed from theirhomes because of family crisis, abuseor neglect. Their photographs will bepart of the Pittsburgh Heart Gallery,which is used as a child-specific andgeneral recruiting tool for potentialadoptive families throughout WesternPennsylvania. The traveling exhibitcan be seen on display throughout thePittsburgh community. It is modeledafter the Pennsylvania Heart Gallery,which is supported by the PennsylvaniaAdoption Exchange. The Pittsburghgallery, organized by Three RiversAdoption Council, highlights childrenand teens who are waiting to be placedwith a “forever family.” This particularphoto shoot included childrenregistered with Holy Family Institute,Adelphoi Village and Family Pathways.“Kids who are adopted and grow upin families do so much better. We really10 www.pointpark.edu
Photograph by Laura Petrillago the extra mile and it saves in the end,” said Lee Maley,adoption caseworker at Adelphoi Village in Greensburg,Pa. “Most of our kids are above 10 years old and they wantto find a family.” Maley described a young woman whohas grown up through Adelphoi Village’s program andjust completed her first semester in college. He said sheis still open to finding an adoptive family but was not ableto participate in the Heart Gallery photo shoot due to herclass schedule.For many students, this was their first experienceworking with subjects outside of the classroom.“It’s my first professional experience,” said Abby Neely,sophomore photography major. “I like that we can helpthese kids.”Prior to the photo shoot, the students met with thesubjects over cookies and juice in a room just beyondseveral clusters of tripods and studio strobes. The studentsasked about where their subjects grew up and what theylike to do in their spare time.Luke is 16 years old and likes to play baseball andenjoys the outdoors. William is 15 years old and, aside fromvideo games and football, he has a growing interest in girls.Alias is a 17 year-old Steelers fan who hopes to somedayown a carpentry business. Cody, the youngest of the groupat 10 years old, is shy yet admits he enjoys the opportunityto get out of school for the day as he has traveled from Erie,Pa with a caseworker.“Whatever it takes to get the kids exposure, to get thema family; that’s what is important, ” said Sheila Hill, childspecific recruitment specialist at Three Rivers AdoptionCouncil. “The experience with the Point Park students waswonderful. They really took time to get to know the kidsand to take the best pictures.”Previous assignments in the Intro to DigitalPhotography class covered lighting, composition andtechnical aspects of capturing a well exposed image.“It pulls all their skills together and gets them to putinto practice what they’ve learned in theory,” said Rolinson.“It gives them the opportunity to put all of that together intoone package.”The students grouped into teams and selectedlocations throughout the center that would make forsuitable backdrops. They took turns suggesting posesand directing the shoot from behind the camera. Thestudents created a comfortable atmosphere by engagingtheir subjects in conversation and giving positive feedbackabout the photos. Some of the students encouraged inputfrom the subjects by showing them their portraits on thecamera’s LCD screen.The students’ next assignment is to print the images forthe Pittsburgh Heart Gallery. In addition, the students willcreate their own exhibition, which will be included in PointPark’s Panopticon exhibit in the JVH Gallery.“This puts a whole new spin on portraits with a bigemphasis on getting to know your subject so that they’llopen up to you and you can get that portrait,” said SaritWork, junior photojournalism major. “I’m a huge fan of thisorganization and I hope we can do this again. If we can helpthem out in this small way, it’s something we should do asoften as we can.”Since its inception, 28 of the 77 total children featuredin the gallery were placed in pre-adoptive homes. Of those,15 children had their adoptions finalized. As each child isadopted, a special sticker is placed on his or her portrait.The portraits of those children who are successfully placedwill be given to their adoptive families as a keepsake.For more information about any of the childrenfeatured in the Pittsburgh Heart Gallery, please callSheila Hill at 412-471-8722.Photograph by Laura Petrillawww.pointpark.edu 11
Page 1: POINTTheSpr i n g 2009A MAGAZINE FO
Page 4 and 5: Letters to the EditorThank you for
Page 6 and 7: news & viewsCulturalOfferings Onlin
Page 8 and 9: news & viewsIntegratingIntelligence
Page 10 and 11: Getting Down toStudents Create Plan
Page 14 and 15: BIGBy Elizabeth MayS c r e e nD r e
Page 16 and 17: New YorkPhotograph by Karen MeyersR
Page 18 and 19: Jawari was convicted after a trial
Page 20 and 21: Point ofViewProfessor Joan Moseyon
Page 22 and 23: Alumni ProfileProfileBy Kate Beard
Page 24 and 25: BlueprintBrightfor aFutureBy Cheryl
Page 28 and 29: Annual List of DonorsFiscal Year 20
Page 30 and 31: Dr. Freddie and Ms. Hilda FuJoseph
Page 32 and 33: Charles MeyerJacquelyn MeyerDean Mi
Page 34 and 35: Scott UngerMary UrquhartTroy Ussack
Page 36 and 37: Especially for AlumniDear Fellow Al
Page 38 and 39: Cavaliers’ Announcer Launched Car
Page 40 and 41: Point ParkAnnual FundPhone-A-ThonSe
Page 42 and 43: By Kevin TaylorDirector of Athletic
Page 44: THE POINTPOINT PARK UNIVERSITY201 W

TRAil of A TERRoRisT - Point Park University

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