Learning by Doing
How Mount Hood Community College Students Shape the Festival’s Story
What happens when a group of student filmmakers step into a real-world creative project for the first time? For the past three years, the Portland Winter Light Festival has partnered with the Integrated Media film students at Mount Hood Community College (MHCC) to find out.
Every spring, as part of their final quarter, these students are challenged to move beyond hypothetical classroom exercises and take on the complexities of client-driven work. That’s where the Festival comes in—offering them a live project with deadlines, brand guidelines, and the creative freedom to bring their own vision to life.
The result? A growing body of video content that not only announces our Call for Participation each year but showcases fresh, emerging voices from Portland’s next generation of storytellers.
The Real Lesson: Collaboration in Action
This project is more than a portfolio piece—it’s a space where students actively learn how to navigate feedback, teamwork, and creative problem-solving in real time.
Let’s hear from the students and what really stuck with them:
“I also found my meetings with the Festival very insightful. I was able to learn how a client thinks and communicates in a very low-stakes and welcoming environment. My biggest takeaway is learning how to talk to people in a more project-oriented way.”
— Reese Collins
“It was cool to work with brand guidelines and a specific editing style. Everything worked smoothly, so I didn’t have to worry about disagreements.”
— Farley Collins
“The best part about this collaboration has been learning and experiencing what Portland Winter Light Festival events are like through these videos. I knew nothing about the Festival before this project, so seeing it in action was quite special.”
— Sean McCoy
“Partnering with community organizations like the Portland Winter Light Festival offers students a valuable bridge to the professional world of the creative industries. These real-world experiences allow them to apply the skills they’ve developed over two years, while benefiting from instructor support as needed. Working with actual clients helps students build essential communication and problem-solving skills, and fosters meaningful connections within the local job market. Opportunities like this are invaluable to their growth and future success.“
— Faculty/Advisor Blakesley Clapp, Integrated Media: Video
The Work Speaks for Itself
The student-created videos are now live on our website, with full credit given to the talented teams behind them. Year after year, their creativity raises the bar—and we’re grateful for the opportunity to grow alongside them.
