Send Miya to New York University

Blessings family. My name is Miya Scaggs, and I am a sophomore Documentary Filmmaking major at thee Spelman College. I have always been in search of a vehicle to express my identity. Upon entering Spelman in the fall of 2021, I began reading texts by Black feminist scholars such as Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall and Kimberlé Crenshaw, which has opened up my mind to an entire universe of questions regarding my intersectionality as a young black woman from New Orleans, LA. In New Orleans, I was immersed in theater, performance, and visual art before arriving at Spelman. It wasn't until entering college that I began exploring the moving image through documentary and narrative-based filmmaking. One of the first films I created in college was titled "There's More to This Than Meets the Eye," a short film I directed about my upbringing in the early 2000s, and identity struggles through primary and middle school.

Following “There’s More to This Than Meets the Eye,” I wrote and directed a short film titled, “The Color Blue,” exploring same-sex relationships and hair as it relates to gender expression. These two poetic documentaries that explored facets of identity and sexuality as Black women stemmed from New York-centric films such as She’s Gotta Have It (1986). Over time, filmmaking has developed into an essential medium that hones my self-expression and creativity.

During Spring 2023 at Tisch, I want to continue to develop my voice and vision in filmmaking as well as learn the business of the industry, and ways I can continue to be an innovator and entrepreneur in this space. Since arriving at Spelman, I’ve been discovering the various elements of documentary filmmaking and uncovering themes of interest in my storytelling ideology. Through the Documentary Filmmaking program at Spelman, I’ve been exposed to various modes of storytelling in classes such as Black Cinema: Contemporary Voices in Filmmaking. At Spelman, I’m a regular participant in the Innovation Lab, Vice President of the AUC Camera Collective, and a work-study Media Assistant in Giles Hall to cinematographer and Morehouse professor, Zachary Thomas. In addition, my minors are Interactive Media and Computer Science.

Additionally, this semester I participated in the Black Creators program sponsored by Beats by Dre, where I was chosen to direct a short film called “Maze”, that will be released on Beats social media platforms in November. This semester, I also continued to develop my small business, Kalon, over the past eight weeks, through the HBCU Founders Initiative Pre-Accelerator program, continuing my mission for Kalon that I began during Spelpreneur, a co-curricular entrepreneurship education initiative at Spelman. Kalon is a digital community designed to amplify black and brown voices, while providing new and emerging filmmakers with a platform to share original work and engage with fellow storytellers – without having to navigate algorithmic bias. Last semester, after participating in Spelpreneur, my business won second-place and viewer’s choice award, winning $5,000 and a mentor from IBM.

My purpose for attending NYU in Spring 2023 is to begin to explore more themes that align with the topic of Black futurism, from a hybrid approach to filmmaking that explores elements of narrative and documentary styles. Over the course of the spring semester, I will connect with Professor Yemane Demissie, an award-winning filmmaker who teaches courses such as Fundamentals of Sight and Sound: Documentary as well as Sight and Sound: Filmmaking, that will allow me to seamlessly blend the two genres of film together. With the spirit of Spelman College being a global classroom, I believe that NYU directly aligns with the mission of the college and what I am looking for in a comprehensive learning environment that continues to immerse me in diverse perspectives.

This experience is integral to my development as an undergraduate student and artist because I have the opportunity to network, gain in class and out of class experience, as well as criticism on film projects that will contribute to my growth as a filmmaker. If you feel compelled, I ask that you assist me in seeing this vision through to fruition via a donation or sharing this post. Any amount that you can donate helps and thank you for supporting my journey! :)