Of My Own: The Second Path is an audio-visual documentary project by Amir Williams, former intern at Made in Durham and Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University.
It features 3 inspirational stories of Durham youth who overcame incredible odds to complete their education. Listen to each of their stories below!
Watch the full live premier event on our YouTube channel.
During the summer of 2018, Amir Williams, a former intern with Made in Durham, embarked on a journey to learn and capture the stories of 3 students enrolled in youth education programs. Over the course of 3 months, she met with these students to interview them about their decisions to continue their education and how they were able to create their own pathways to redefine success outside of the traditional public school setting.
“As I listened to and absorbed these students’ narratives, I was introduced to the beauty and the backbone that existed in each stride of their journeys. This work is a tribute to their success and to the people who helped them build their wings.
Through a photo and audio double medium, my aim is to give you a window into their magic and open the door to dialogue that disrupts the popular, yet reduced rendering of a high school dropout by exposing the complexity, structural barriers, and diversity that exists within their experiences.”