GETTING TO THE POINT: Shellee Brevard (COMM '26), from DC to Fitchburg

Shellee Brevard (COMM '26), a sophomore screenwriter, joins host Zoe Chrisostomides ('26) on GTTP to talk about Shellee's experiences as a first-year student at Fitchburg State University.   Hailing from Washington DC, Shellee offers her advice on navigating campus life, the benefits of an awesome college Math professor, discovering her love for film through Spike Lee's Crooklyn, exploring her own creative voice, and her dreams of making screenwriting her career.

If you're interested in working on the podcast, register for College Newspaper Production (ENGL 3830) or contact The Point at https://fitchburgpoint.com/contact-us/.   

Episode transcript can be found here.

This is Episode 4 of the pilot season of Getting to the Point  (GTTP), an affiliate podcast of The Point, the Fitchburg State student newspaper.  Recorded in May 2023, it was produced by Toni Magras for the College Newspaper Production course taught by Prof. Wafa Unus.

Matt Baier (COMM '24) edited and mixed the episode for Perseverantia.

Click here to learn more about Perseverantia . Join us for programming updates on Instagram. Or reach out with ideas or suggestions at podcasts@fitchburgstate.edu.

Transcript

[ Getting to the Point theme fades in ]

[ 00min 04sec ] 

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
Welcome to Getting to the Point. I'm Zoe Chrisostomides. Over the next few weeks, we're taking the time to reflect on students here at Fitchburg State University. We had recently dove into the experiences of a nontraditional student and a soon-to-be senior. And we're going to finish the series off with freshman Shellee Brevard. Being a freshman in college is definitely an experience you will never forget.  It's your first time living away from home and truly being on your own.

[ Getting to the Point theme fades out ]

So, Shellee, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself, where you're from, and what brought you to Fitchburg State?

SHELLEE BREVARD:
Well, I am from Washington, D.C. And I chose Fitchburg State mainly because it was financially available to me and it was close enough from home that – it was close enough to home that I didn't get too homesick, but people wouldn't come visit me.  [ laughs ]

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
Definitely. I'm from New Jersey, so I understand where you're coming from with that. Were you nervous being so far away from home and being in Massachusetts for the first time?

SHELLEE BREVARD
Nervous? I actually wouldn't use the word. I'd say anxious more because there was more excitement than nerves.  If anything, I just wanted to experience being alone for the first time. And it's been great so far.

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
And then when you say being alone, do you mean without family or friends or just kind of a fresh start? Why don't you elaborate a little bit on that fresh start?

SHELLEE BREVARD:
Definitely being away from family because I've been pretty much dependent on my entire life. So the first sign of independence that I got, I took it.

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
How did you deal with the winter? I know people who aren't from the north usually change their minds after going through a season in New England.

[ 01min 35sec ] 

SHELLEE BREVARD:
Oh my God. It was the worst.  [ laughs ]   I was cold in, like, September and everybody else is just out like shorts and windbreakers. And I have this wool, like, field coat on throughout it all. It was horrible. And I had to shovel my car out of the snow for the first time in my life.

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
Wow.

SHELLEE BREVARD:
Like buried deep into the snow. It was crazy.

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
Was it like your first time seeing snow – or?

SHELLEE BREVARD:
No, not the first time seeing snow. But I think the biggest storm that we've had since I've been alive in D.C., it was, like, 2015 maybe. And even then, like, I did not get in my car. I just got on the bus.

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
When you came here, what was your intended major and do you plan to keep on course throughout the next three years?

SHELLEE BREVARD:
Well, when I first got here, I was declared as a double major in film & video and theater. Currently, right now, I'm just going to stick with film & video just because theater has a lot of additions to it.

[ 2min 29sec ] 

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
Okay. So why don't you talk a little bit about your major and why you want to stick with it?

SHELLEE BREVARD:
Well, film & video – I've always been passionate about anything that had anything to do with movies and creating anything. I want to be a screenwriter, as a career, probably freelancing as a start, just because I love to create and make stories that other people can relate to.

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
So at Fitchburg, what were some of the things that you had to do in terms of your major as a freshman? So you said you love to screen, right? Were you able to do any of that this year?

[ 2min 55sec ] 

SHELLEE BREVARD:
Well, yeah, actually, in my pre-production class with Rachelle Dermer, we worked on short story screenplays, which was amazing. And in Intro to Film, I got to work with an actual film camera, which is the the Bolex camera. It was interesting. So glad the technology evolved from that because it was difficult.

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
What did you think was the hardest thing or the biggest hit? You said it was interesting and difficult. So what's the difference between that camera and the camera that you're used to using?

SHELLEE BREVARD:
Oh, my God. Using the light meter is the worst. [ laughs ]   The light meter is so hard because it's like – So the way that the Bolex camera works is that the picture – like the light that's in the camera gets split in half. So whatever the light meter tells you, it's never right.  [ laughs ] 

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
Let's move forward and talk about your progression over the years. Having completed your first year, your freshman year here at Fitchburg State, what were some of your accomplishments?

SHELLEE BREVARD:
Honestly, the biggest accomplishment was finishing the year. 

Because one thing about me in the past, so I will be turning 20 in the summer. So this was literally my second time trying a freshman year at college. And the biggest accomplishment is actually, like, getting through it and not skating out.  [ laughs ]

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
So where did you go before Fitchburg State?

SHELLEE BREVARD:
I went to Georgia State University. I currently live in Georgia and that was interesting. The reason I decided to leave there is because it just felt too much like home. You know, I wanted to experience something very different.  So I was like, Massachusetts is definitely different.

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
And how did you come across Fitchburg?

SHELLEE BREVARD:
I literally typed in Google Search “Affordable Colleges, Northeast Programs” and I think Fitchburg State popped up, like, right under Ferris State University.

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
Right. What were some of the things that were challenging for you – your first year at Fitchburg State? I know you said it was your second year. Maybe you can talk about when you were at Georgia State.

SHELLEE BREVARD:
I think the biggest thing for me as a freshman in general was that – so I'm class of 2021. So coming from completely remote online schooling to going right back in person, which just – I don't want to say a brand new experience, but it definitely felt like I was learning to walk all over again.  I remember like getting in class and like, can I just log off?  And I'm like, No, I'm in person [ laughs ].

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
So what were some of the biggest differences between here and your previous school?

SHELLEE BREVARD:
You know, I would actually say that the community here is much more opening, honestly.  

Like there are so many different programs to join in, so many different experiences on campus. I think like every week, an RAis doing something or a club is just doing something. So you’re never bored here.

[ 5min 43sec ] 

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
Talk about some of the classes you've thrived in and what made those courses, not necessarily easy but enjoyable for you. So maybe like the professors, the work, the students.

SHELLEE BREVARD:
You know, it's funny. In high school, you could not get me to understand math at all. And I got here and my professor – I had Math and Society this year.  Last semester, my professor, Nina Fernandez, was amazing. She made everything so much understandable for me. She reached out, always responded to emails on time, and she was just really great with her slides and in class and stuff like that.

Other than that, though, anything that had to do with film classes, that's always going to be more enjoyable for me.

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
What made you choose film? What was your first realization that you had that made you think, This is what I want to do for the rest of my life?

[ 06min 34sec ]

SHELLEE BREVARD:
When I was six years old, I saw Crooklyn by Spike Lee for the first time, and I fell in love with anything that had to do with movies. [ laughs ]  

Only because it was the first time I've seen a story on TV that I related to a lot – coming from a big family myself. That movie, if you've never gotten the chance to see it, you should check it out.  That movie illustrates like, you know, the life of someone who comes from a big family and parents who are hardworking. And I saw that movie and I was like, “I'm going to make something just like that relatable to other people.”

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
I love that. Do you ever get homesick and was it hard being away from home for such a long time? I know you said you love your independence, but were there ever times that you were like, Wow, I really just miss home? It's okay to say no, nobody's judging you.

[ 07min 16 sec ] 

SHELLEE BREVARD:
I'm trying to think, you know, I have a lot of times when I'm homesick. I think the main reason I get so homesick is because here in Fitchburg, like the city of Fitchburg, there's absolutely nothing to do, right?

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
Yeah.

SHELLEE BREVARD:
And every like, all the fun activities are so far. So the one thing I miss, like, being at home was like getting on the Metro, and everything is just like a two minute ride, even less – so that's the part that I get most homesick about.

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
No, I 100% agree.  In New Jersey, where I live, it's everything's so close. It's walking distance everywhere. Like here you walk down the street and it's not so nice. And I'm like, wow, this is different than home. 

So were you able to establish relationships here at Fitchburg State, whether it's professors or students? Maybe you can go into both.

SHELLEE BREVARD:
I mean, yeah, I, I have met some amazing people and I think the best part about meeting other people is to see how differently creating is for other people. Like I have experienced musicians for the first time, like, actual good musicians that can play the guitar and they're like younger than me and I'm like, “You're going to be amazing one day.”

And then, you know, you meet other people like, like Toni [ Getting to the Point producer and filmmaker, Toni Magras ]. 

So, you know, it's – you learn from each other. That's like the best part about meeting other people and experiencing different cultures and backgrounds with different people. That's the best part.

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
So going back into your major, why don't you talk a little bit about the professors that are really helping you through this whole process?

[ 08min 42sec ] 

SHELLEE BREVARD:
Shout out to Kevin McCarthy [ laughs ] and Rachelle Dermer. They are the absolute best. 

They answer every weird question I have. Kevin's my advisor. Then Rachelle is my pre-prod teacher, but I will come to them with the craziest ideas and they're like, “Let's see what happens. Like I 100% believe in you and we'll see what it does. And if it doesn't work out, we'll try something else.”

And I think that is the most important thing to have as a creator, is someone who tells, who tells you, “hey, you can do it, and if you don't, you're going to find a different way to do it.”

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
That's awesome. So to finish up today, let's get to your future here at Fitchburg State. Where do you plan on living next semester and why did you choose that choice of residence?

[ 9min 25sec ] 

SHELLEE BREVARD:
I'm going to Simmons Hall next semester and I chose it because I am tired of eating noodles in the microwave every day.

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
Oh, yeah.

SHELLEE BREVARD:
But also I am so tired of sharing my bathroom with, like, ten other people. 

[ laughs ] 

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
What else are you looking forward to accomplish next semester?

[ 9min 40sec ] 

SHELLEE BREVARD:
Next semester, I want to start working in film. I've been working since I was like 14 and I have just been doing like these dead end jobs in fast food places. And I'm like, I'm in college now. I need to do something.

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
Yeah.

SHELLEE BREVARD:
Something that's going to, like, get a career, you know?

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
So overall, how would you grade your freshman year here at Fitchburg State?

SHELLEE BREVARD:
Freshman year, I'm going to give it a C. 

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
Okay. 

SHELLEE BREVARD:
I'm going to give it a C only because, like I said, working through classes have been a challenge. But they've been great. But the living conditions in Russell.

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
Oh yeah, that's tough. 

[ laughs ]

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
So how do we break that down a little bit? So the living conditions, what would you grade that separate than your experience here?

[ 10min 25sec ] 

SHELLEE BREVARD:
That's the F.

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
So that brings it down. What about the social experience?

SHELLEE BREVARD:
Yeah. 

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
What about the social experience?

SHELLEE BREVARD:
Social experience. I will give it a C because like I said, the RA's always have something going on. But like you get so irritated about everything else, like the fire alarm.

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
Oh, yes.

SHELLEE BREVARD:
Like, I don't want to participate in anything, I’m going to sleep.

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
Right. And what about the dining experience here.

SHELLEE BREVARD:
Honestly. So I have a ten meal plan and I think I only eat in the dining hall like once a month.

[ laughs ] 

[ 10min 55sec ] 

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
Okay?

SHELLEE BREVARD:
Like I'm not, I'm not going to like crap on Chartwells. The workers are doing amazing. I think the menu needs to change a little bit. 

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
Yes, I agree. 

SHELLEE BREVARD:
Yeah. I strictly eat like seafood and chicken only. Okay. As far as like, you know, like that section of the food pyramid goes so, so like it's not a lot of options.  You either get, like, deep fried chicken or – 

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
Is that a dietary restriction or is that choice?

SHELLEE BREVARD:
Choice.  I just like to choose a healthier lifestyle.

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
So what advice would you give to students entering Fitchburg State? So incoming freshmen, 

SHELLEE BREVARD:
Incoming freshmen.  I would say you're going to be living in Russell. You're going to be living in Russell. 

So get to know your RAs and get to know your staff members. Because I'm pretty sure like an RA knows like the ins and outs of getting around that building and prepare for the fire alarms. 

[ laughs ] 

And I think at the end of the year, I started hiding out in the library until 11:30 was like that's like the exact time that they go off.  Like hide in the library until they kick you out.

[ 12min 05sec ] 

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
And then specifically filmmakers, what would you hope that an incoming freshman would know?

SHELLEE BREVARD:
I would want you to know as an incoming freshman going into film that there are absolutely no limits to your creation. Absolutely no limits. 

Everybody is going to accept everything that you put out, anything that you put out. And there are so many platforms to submit to. If you're creating a movie, casting calls go out every week. If you want to show your movie to others, you have to – you can submit in Visions every semester or year. You can submit to Visions. And they also have like film screenings like every semester, too.

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
That's amazing. So my last question for today, let's pretend that you're a graduating senior. Where do you see yourself or where do you hope to see yourself?

SHELLEE BREVARD:
So my plans right after college, I want to settle somewhere and like, I said, do freelance work with screenwriting. 

But, you know, right now the Guild's on strike.  [ laughs ]   So I don't know, hopefully, hopefully, you know, the pay situation will be worked out by then.  

[ Perseverantia theme music fades in ] 

If not, I got to do be children's book author as well.  [ laughs ] 

[ 13min 09sec ] 

Zoe Chrisostomides (host):
Shelly, thank you so much for sharing your freshman year experience with us today. I'm sure coming from Washington to Massachusetts was a huge adjustment. However, you demonstrated so much perseverance. I hope that incoming freshmen can really learn from your experience. Thank you again, Shellee.   And thank you, everyone, for tuning in today.

[ Getting to the Point theme continues ]

[ 13min 30sec ] 

Getting to the Point is an affiliate of The Point, Fitchburg State’s Student’s newspaper. We want to hear from you, our listeners. Your feedback, questions, and story ideas are crucial to shaping the content we produce.  Reach out to us through our website or social media platforms. 

If you are interested in working on the podcast, register for our College Newspaper Production, ENGL 3830.

[ Getting to the Point theme fades out]

[ 13min 57sec ] 

[ Perseverantia theme music fades in ] 

Dani Chase:
This is Dani Chase, Fitchburg State University Class of 2023 – and you’re listening to Perseverantia, the Fitchburg State Podcast Network.

[ Perseverantia theme music fades out ]