As a filmmaker and a storyteller, Kendall Ka (12) finds herself constantly looking into the future.

“I can envision where I want to be in five years,” Kendall said. “I picture myself winning awards or directing huge celebrities, and that motivates me to work really hard. I know other people work really hard in film, and there are so many talented artists, but I know that if I work really hard, I can eventually be where I see myself now.”

Kendall recently started considering pursuing film after talking to Melina Nakos (‘16), who helped her envision filmmaking as a career path. Last year, she made two short films, including one called “It’s Okay.”

“It’s about a college-bound high school couple, and they’re about to go to the same college, and that’s their dream,” Kendall said. “But then, at the last minute, the guy is accepted to his dream school, which is all the way across the country, and they kind of have to decide if they want to stay together or follow their own dreams. The ending is kind of ambiguous as to which they pick.”

Kendall often starts the filmmaking process by finding inspiration through different books. She then casts her friends as actors and eventually shoots the films with equipment she buys herself.

“I kind of use really vague ideas that I get from coming-of-age books, and I write screenplays, and then I have to convince my friends to act in them,” Kendall said. “I saved up money and bought a camera and editing equipment. We spend days just filming and stuff, and then I edit by myself.”

Despite Kendall’s passion for filmmaking, she has encountered challenges throughout the process.

“There was a huge catastrophe, and all of my footage got erased,” Kendall said. “I refilmed, and that was the moment where I was like, ‘Okay, when people say that it’s not an easy path, they’re not even kidding.’”

Kendall uses film to both express herself and impact others. Ever since she was little, her dad has told her to “go big or go home.”

“[My dad] says life is a dot,” Kendall said. “Everyone is a small speck on the earth, so you have to make your dot as prominent as possible. You have to do everything you can to impact others and yourself while you live.”

Following her father’s advice, Kendall pursues film because it strengthens her impact on others.

“I think I’m a really empathetic person, so whatever my friends or family are feeling, I feel too,” Kendall said. “I want to project that onto the screen in the form of storytelling, so when people watch my films now and even in the future, I want them to really feel what I’m trying to portray on the screen.”