Written By: Madison Fennell
It was May of 2022 when I flew to Los Angeles. This was the first time in a long time that I had the opportunity to travel to a new place. A place that I always wanted to go to, leaving my home of Philadelphia; I was ready to escape from my beloved city.
On my plane ride there, 3 hours down, and 2 more to go, I could not sleep due to my excitement but wanted to entertain myself by finding something to watch to get the time to pass a bit quicker. I came across the show Abbott Elementary, one I have been told to watch but thought this was the best time to tune in, not knowing much about the series. While watching, I noticed this show was based on Philadelphia’s school systems and the reality of being a teacher working for the system. I instantly felt connected, it felt familiar.
The first three episodes of the series were all that was offered, and I genuinely wanted to binge more. I was going to Los Angeles with my sister, who surprised me with three days to spend together for my 19th birthday. When we landed and caught an Uber to where we would be staying for the next few days, all I could think about was Abbott Elementary, wanting to watch more but decided to wait until I returned to Philadelphia.
During my time away, I looked up the cast of Abbott Elementary genuinely curious about who were some of the actors in the show, many of which I found to be hilarious. It was something about the main character that I was intrigued by Janine Teagues. This character, I came to find out, was played by famous actress, producer, and former Temple University student, Quinta Brunson.
I felt such a connection to Quinta Brunson especially after doing research and realizing that we shared similar backgrounds. I truly admired seeing another young, black woman who I found to have also grown up in the city of Philadelphia, attended the same university, and shared a similar passion when it came to being a part of the entertainment industry.
I have always been so fascinated with the entertainment and media industry, ever since I was a kid. I am not sure what it was, but I would always find myself watching videos of behind-the-scenes content and I gained such an appreciation for all the hard work and dedication it takes to create content to the point that I realized for myself, how much I would love to be a part of that process. The idea of working on a set or a studio, whether I am someone directing an episode of a show, a movie, or more, producing, hosting, I just know that is where I am meant to be in that space. Coming to Temple University, I became a Media Studies and Production major.
As I began taking classes for my major, I realized I wanted to do more. I had the desire of wanting to be involved in something that felt much bigger than myself and to find other students who were involved in extracurriculars, activities, clubs, or organizations. The funny thing is, I did not always feel I had the right push and did not feel inspired or motivated to take that step.
Coming across the series, Abbott Elementary, starring Quinta Brunson, it almost felt as if I needed to watch the show at that specific time in my life. I felt so inspired by her. From watching the behind-the-scenes content of the show and researching her background, I learned so much about her. While attending Temple University, Quinta Brunson joined clubs including “Temple Smash”. Later on, in my experience at Temple and continuing to watch this series, I found myself wanting to step out of my comfort zone and pursue something I always wanted to, but felt too nervous to try. I knew in order to get to where I wanted to go, I needed to start showing up for myself and so, I did. I began to just show up to events and meetings that interested me, all on my own.
During the time that I began showing up to various shows, I wanted to be a part of TUTV’s “We Need to Talk”, an all women’s talk show that touches on many aspects of life and bringing to light important topics that needed to be discussed. I felt incredibly inspired to continue going and volunteering, I felt so welcomed. I wanted to continue showing up for myself and being involved despite the fear and nervousness I felt initially. Little did I know, that after one semester of being consistent, I became an Assistant Director for the show. This felt like a milestone that was reached, I felt so proud of myself to have been given that role.
Quinta Brunson inspired me to focus on the importance of involvement and following my passions for pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. Whenever I watch Abbott Elementary, I always am reminded of the inspiration I felt from Brunson, not to compare or to be like her, but to set an example and to continue following my passions. By allowing myself to continue showing up for the things that I wanted, I was given an incredible opportunity to take on a much bigger role, one that I did not expect but knew I deserved which I am so incredibly grateful for.
I found that I value courage, loyalty, adaptability, creativity, and authenticity, all of which are important qualities and values to have when a part of the media and production industry and qualities I saw and recognized in Quinta Brunson, qualities I later began to notice within myself. But I think that many of us have goals, dreams, and aspirations we want to pursue. For some of us, it can be difficult to imagine what our life could look like once we can accomplish whatever that goal is and sometimes we fall into not knowing where exactly to start. As a college student, I know many can relate or understand and find ourselves looking at certain people who we may look up to and ask, “How did they do it?”. I realized through this experience that all it takes is the first step. Starting somewhere even if you do not know where. Every person that we admire that are in our dream career had to start somewhere to get to where they are now. For many of them, they simply took that step and allowed themselves to try and sometimes, that is all it takes to just believe in your abilities. You never know how far you can go. Even in the moments of pure nervousness and even the fear of taking a leap, it is so important to just start, you never know where you will land.
References
(n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved April 17, 2024, from https://templetv.net/shows/we-need-to-talk/
Juhasz, A. (2023, April 7). The school comedy ‘Abbott Elementary’ has Philadelphia teachers talking. NPR. Retrieved April 17, 2024, from https://www.npr.org/2023/04/07/1156532261/philadelphia-teachers-abbott-elementary-school
Media Studies and Production Major. (n.d.). Temple University. Retrieved April 17, 2024, from https://www.temple.edu/academics/degree-programs/media-studies-and-production-major-co-msp-ba
Zornosa, L. (2023, March 2). Quinta Brunson on Abbott Elementary’s Success. Time. Retrieved April 17, 2024, from https://time.com/6259193/quinta-brunson-interview/