Last semester I wrote a series of stories that followed Penn State graduate students and inmates from the State Correctional Institution at Rockview as they discussed topics from race to sexism.

I would sit and listen to stories of both defeat and triumph, amazed at the dedication the students showed to the inmates, willingly coming back each week to discuss an array of topics. Through this, I realized these students displayed a unique trait.

They were, in essence, the "Dream Carriers" (as actress Ruby Dee once put it) -- people who have an immovable will to serve their communities, work tirelessly for solutions to problems deemed hopeless and earnestly fight to raise awareness both home and abroad.

I spoke with students who wanted to effect real change, ranging from finding a cure for sickle-cell anemia to opening a school for boys in Atlanta to close the achievement gap.

These are the stories I wanted to tell when I decided to become a journalist. These are the stories people need to hear.

Through the looking glass

"I wanted to make something that made people uncomfortable," Aundrea Posey (senior-film) said of her passion of becoming a filmmaker. "I wanted to push the limit."

Posey, a native of Washington, D.C., knew from the moment she saw Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing" that her vehicle to effect change would be through film.

Posey, who is currently finishing her senior thesis film, "Finding Ifftin," hopes to open eyes through sixth grader Ifftin Price's identity struggle .

"It's about encouraging people to think outside the box," she said. "I don't mind talking about controversial issues."

"Finding Ifftin" is written, directed and produced by Posey. It explores the troubles of youth identity, the idea of the past transcending into the present and the dynamics of inter-race relations amid the black community (a.k.a. the color complex).

Posey's film is unique for many reasons, chiefly because it examines a pertinent issue within the black community through the eyes of a child.

Posey is also straying away from the pack by introducing an all-black cast. Posey said throughout her four years at Penn State, this is the first student film she can remembers with an all-black cast.

Still, it's not exactly what one might think.

"It's not just a black film," she said. "It's about the universal theme of identity and what makes individuals who they are."

If the film is chosen by the department, it will debut at the Penn State Film Festival in April.

"There are so many people telling you what to be," she added, "and I wanted to call that into question."

The fire inside

Toni Dang (senior-African and African American studies) is not your average Penn State student.

Dang, who is from Philadelphia and identifies as Chinese American (or "a product of the Chinese Diaspora" depending on how you ask her), said she is committed to doing what she must for her community.

"Too much time is devoted to mindless entertainment," she said. "I want to help organize programming that helps students think outside the box."

Dang works as secretary and treasurer for the African and African American Student Council and is the social issues and awareness officer for the Asian Pacific American (APA) Caucus.

For Dang, who wants to be a community organizer, it's about one thing -- "empowering everyone."

In January, Dang helped organize the "ISMs Panel," which discussed issues such as sexism, classism, white privilege and ally development.

"We just didn't want to bog students with problems, but offer solutions," she said. "If you don't understand it, you become ignorant to it."

Last semester, Dang, through her work with APA Caucus, hosted an identity dialogue series about ethnicity, gender, spirituality and socio-economic status.

"These things can be very divisive, especially ethnicity, in the Asian community," she said. "Being a [African and African American Studies] major and part of the Asian American community, I see so many commonalities."

Dang said they range from poor media representation to division within the communities.

She is currently working to have more programs that raise awareness for prevalent issues, pushing for more classes on Asian American studies and, hopefully, in 2009 will have created a program at Penn State that takes students on "Freedom Rides" through the South.

"The only thing propelling me forward is the recognition of everyone's potential to effect positive change," she said.

"I see the potential. We can't drop the torch."