A Student’s Point of View: Introducing Emily Sudock
Hello my name is Emily Sudock. I am a sophomore advertising photography student and I am excited to now be working as the RIT Photo student blogger. I am replacing Ashley Crichton, who previously was in this role.
For my first post, I thought I’d share a little about myself. I’m proud to call RIT my home away from home. I never thought I’ll be sharing that. This is because, during my numerous trips to find the RIGHT school that I wanted to attend, RIT was at the very bottom of my list. The reason I disliked RIT is the majority of this school is just bricks. Brick. Brick. And more Brick for as far as the eye can see. And all the same color!
At the time of my college visits, Rochester wasn’t captivating to me when compared to schools in New York City. At that time, I believed the City was more interesting and the NYC schools had all the connections to the hustle bustle it’s known for. My parents, my teachers and my peers were all rooting for RIT but I did not see myself ever going to RIT. I was stubborn and did not want to look at anything else. To be honest, I judged RIT by its looks and nothing else.
I was so very wrong about RIT. The reputation the School has is very high and this reveals itself from within the school in the way “we do business”. Every day I am reminded about what a great opportunity I have here. I see it in my teachers and I can see it in the other students who go to this school. The National Technical Institute of the Deaf (NTID) is a program for deaf and hard of hearing students just like me. The NTID community stuck out to me because it showed RIT was inclusive to all groups and RIT is commited to diversity.
I didn’t see the big reputation RIT holds pridefully until my third visit to RIT. Yes, the third visit. It took three visits to convince me that this school was right for me. The third visit was to attend the RIT Photo Day event. That day sealed the deal. While visiting it seemed so captivating to me when I visited with my Dad. We came from Long Island, New York. After the professors spoke, we talked to current students and we were shown alumni work. There was a presentation that discussed the amazing co-op program and I was completely sold. I knew RIT had my heart from that day and it was an ironic special moment for me.
That day taught me if you have some photography skills but more importantly drive and ambition, this school will help you achieve your dreams. Their main goal is to help everyone surpass their potentials. No one is better than another because each has the same goal, which is to become the best we can be. That stood out to me above anything else because other schools I looked at did not have that as their top agenda. What I got from the other school’s agendas was if you are really good, we can help you. That discouraged me from attending those schools and I have no regrets.
RIT accepts prospective students who exhibit determination, are self-starting, and have passion. It inspires those with the drive to learn and those who want to be the best at what they can. RIT is a big school and that’s what I thought I needed to succeed. I feel a such kinship in my photo community. Thank you RIT for showing me the way and pointing out that everyone deserves a chance to try and then succeed in what they want to pursue. My first RIT lesson was not to judge something solely by its appearance because there will be a high probability you will be incorrect.
About Emily Sudock
Emily is from Long Island and is a second-year advertising photography student. She is also cross-registered in the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. She has been hard of hearing most of her life but is comfortable with speaking and reads lips. She was born in China adopted by her loving family. They are a big part of her life. She has a Nikon D600 camera equipped with a 35 mm lens which she uses for taking portraits. This is something she loves doing.
