Post by Pepperdine University

Katie Stjernholm (’10) discovered her vocation serendipitously. An international studies major with a minor in nonprofit management, she was convinced throughout her first two years of college that the nonprofit sector was her calling. But when film professor Tom Shadyac invited Stjernholm to join The Art of Storytelling and Life class, everything changed. “We would watch documentaries. We would laugh; we would cry; and students from all corners of campus would find common ground.” says Stjernholm. “Sitting in that classroom, I was struck with the realization that film has this powerful way of bringing people together. It has this way of changing people's hearts and minds, and I was drawn to that.” Today, Stjernholm is the Emmy-winning producer of Champions of the Golden Valley, a documentary film about an unexpected skiing community of Afghanistan. Her journey from storytelling enthusiast to industry insider started out as an unexpected course correction—one that inspired her to cofound Pepperdine’s Reel Stories Film Festival—and has become a profound professional calling to give voices to those in need. And to think, all this unfolded because of one professor, because of one class. Read more: https://bit.ly/4v7KEf7