We here at PAX tearfully saw our amazing Program Assistant, Maddie Easton, move on to bigger and brighter things at the end of Winter Quarter as she focuses on her new role at The Joyce Foundation, alongside her academic work here at DePaul in the MS Film and Television Program!

Not only was Maddie an integral part of making sure PAX has been functioning better than ever, but also in seeing it become a better program the past year and a half during her tenure as Program Assistant.

Earlier this month, she was able to find some time in her busy schedule to be interviewed, and I hope I was able to convey how much and what she’s meant to everyone in and associated with PAX.

Below is an abbreviated and edited version of our interview:

What drew you to PAX and DePaul in general? Did you have pre-college interests in social justice issues?

Maddie:
It’s funny, because when I was looking at undergraduate programs back in high school, I was looking at art programs for awhile because I was really into art as a high school student yet didn’t particularly have a solid idea of what I wanted to do with art. So, I pivoted and I ended up in political science — but applied to and was admitted to DePaul under the PAX program.

What pulled me specifically into political science was a course, AP Human Geography, and just fell in love with humanities and sociological discussions which led me to be really interested in the PAX program.

I switched to Political Science and to Applied Diplomacy, which I was the first graduate from the Applied Diplomacy program — which was interesting because when we did the capstone course, I was the only student in it, so it was just me and David Wellman working on my paper together. But, what drew me back to PAX for my program assistant position was that while I loved political science, what I took from it, the focus on activism and community service work and the discussion of communal work together that PAX holds is really integral to not just PAX as a program, but my own stance in what kind of political work that I want to do and believe needs to be done in this world.

The values and goals of the PAX program were really intertwined with all of the things that I took into political science, so that was a big part of taking on this role in the program.

I know administrative work isn’t the most glamorous, but it’s the kind of background work needed to keep a program like this running, and to keep students engaged and the classes and faculty supported to continue to do all of the fantastic work that they’re doing. I’m doing payroll, and scheduling courses and things like that and that’s not the most exciting thing in the world, but knowing that there’s students and faculty on the other end of it that are receiving amazing support, education, lectures and speakers PAX has brought in, being able to enable faculty and students to work together has been really rewarding.

As for what’s really kept me in this position for my tenure has been the fact that I care about the programs I’ve worked in (PAX, Critical Ethnic Studies, Refugee and Forced Migration Studies) and that my perspective in the world, the things that I think are important, are aligned with them.

What would you say are some of the joys, projects, events you’ve most enjoyed creating and seeing come to fruition as PAX’s, CES’, and RFMS’ Program Assistant?

Maddie:
I’ve been fortunate to meet some amazing speakers and people that have come in — Kizito Kalima, who is a really fantastic speaker who has an incredible life story — getting to meet people like him has been really awesome.

Being able to help organize, and I’m really sad that I won’t be here to see it through, but organizing the PAX Student Conference has been a really awesome experience because that’s something that Susana Martínez (PAX Program Director, currently on research leave) and I discussed last year as a new possibility that could be done — giving PAX students more to do with their academic work in the program. It’s something that I view as related to the Honors Student Conference, where students are encouraged to talk and present about, restructure, their previous work. Have students show others the depth of the work and causes they care about — and I’m very excited to see how it turns out this year.

I know PAX isn’t the most visible program in the university, or even in the College [of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences], and giving students the platform to be in the Student Center Atrium and show people what they care about and what we’re doing in the program has been really cool. Helping organize and push it forward is something I’ve been incredibly proud of.

And really, meeting students and faculty, working with them, it wasn’t too long ago that I was in the shoes of an undergraduate. I graduated in March of 2021, and so I feel like I’ve grown up in the last few years, and being able to relate to students and now being able to help them understand what they want to do in the world or in their careers — even just being tangentially related to and seeing that experience has been fantastic.

Ditto for the faculty, they do such incredible work, and seeing the devotion and passion they bring to the classroom and their students while getting to know them has been an amazing experience.

Outside of your position as Program Assistant, you’re also in the MS Program for Film and Television here at DePaul. What has it been like juggling three different roles at DePaul — alongside pursuing your MS in a field that on the surface might seem like it’s unrelated or entirely separate from your “day job”?

What is it like to work on another type of work that you’ve loved your entire life? Do you see yourself trying to combine the two “worlds” together?

Maddie:
Yeah, so it’s funny. My concentration in my MS is for Cinematography, and one of the things I’ve always appreciated about DePaul, especially in this role that I’m immensely grateful for, is the flexibility. Of course, I’ve always been busy — there’s three programs that need administrative support, and there’s a lot of things to do with that. Juggling those with school… I wouldn’t say that it’s necessarily been difficult, but I’d say I’m always tired.

Even when I’ve got classes, there’s film projects going on. Most weekends I am filming something in conjunction with someone’s project, or even my own.

Going through my first two quarters of school in this position’s always busy, but it’s been fun! Really, really fun! I appreciate the flexibility I’ve had, some of the discussions I’ve had with regard to this program — even with Rose [Spalding] (current Interim PAX Program Chair) — bringing my skills over to this program and doing interviews with faculty, setting up recordings to record them and events, it’s been fun finding a way to combine both parts of my life as a film student and my role here with PAX.

As I move forward, my new position with The Joyce Foundation is also as a Program Assistant — also primarily administrative and grant work, but one of the projects I’m working on is the Culture Program, which is focusing on Artists of Color and Organizations of Color in Chicago. So having those kinds of connections and being an art student, an artist myself is interesting. Pulling together the issues of democracy, and politics, activism, social justice, alongside this work in film I think, and can be a lot more connected than what people generally think.

Especially because the program I’m in is an MS program, Cinematography, it’s very technically driven, so these are technical skills that I don’t necessarily think I’ll be taking with me to Hollywood or the entirety of my life, but I do want to focus on taking these technical skills to organizations that can use that kind of… “marketing” (for lack of a better word), communications work, to talk about the things they’re doing and organizations that need commercial support, visibility, things like that.

I’m glad I got into the MS program because I think it’s really important for me to get these technical skills so that I can use them in a variety of ways and bring them forward with me for all the multiple things I may be doing the future.

[Laughing] But definitely, I’m always tired, and my partner’s also in his last year of law school, so it’s just a busy, busy household.

When it comes to merging interests of film and social issues, first off there’s commercial work and there’s the typical perception of film and television being narrative fiction, drama, but that’s not everything there is to either, or to cinematography in general. I think that narrative fiction can be used perfectly well to serve that type of discussion — social justice issues — yet at the other end, there’s so many other types of media you can use it for. Commercials, commercial work. There’s advertisements for — types of cinematography that can be used to support the work of social justice organizations, all the things that they do, for visibility. Documentaries, all of these sorts of things.

For students that really care about these issues, but they want to be creative, art is such a wonderful tool that can be used in so many wonderful different ways. Especially when it comes to discussing issues of activism and social justice, art is a really wonderful arena for bringing those types of skills into and telling the stories you want to tell in a creative way that draws people in.

People look at art, at writing and storytelling as a world of their own but I believe they’re so interconnected with all of the other things we’re doing and I don’t think anyone should ever shy away from trying to bring those together. It works, it totally works.

Somewhat on that note, what would you say is the most important piece of advice you’d give to any undergraduate student currently in or who is a graduate of PAX that wants to do creative work with what they’ve experienced through the program? What will you yourself take away most from your time with PAX?

Maddie:
I think… I think my biggest piece of advice would be to not pigeonhole yourself. I think that’s a lesson I had to learn as a student, and I know it’s really hard! There’s a lot of pressure — a lot of even internal pressure —as a young adult, to look around at what others are doing. Especially with social media, there’s always the guise of people having more figured out than they actually do.

So I think, don’t pigeonhole yourself into the idea that you have to have everything figured out right now. That the track you’re on is what you have to follow to the end of the earth, the path you’re stuck on and can never stray off of. It’s best to leave yourself as open as you possibly can to all kinds of possibilities and opportunities, and that anything you’re interested in… go try it! There’s no reason to limit yourself, especially now, because you have your entire life to learn all kinds of things and do all kinds of things!

One of the things I was so, so concerned about in undergrad was figuring exactly what I wanted to do and exactly how to get there, and I don’t think I took any time to just explore. I’d recommend to any undergraduate student, PAX or otherwise, to just take a little bit of time to try things that you like and are interested in and explore the world of options there are.

When it comes with my position and experiences at DePaul, related to PAX, I have taken so much from this program just in the idea of what kinds of activism and what kinds of work you’re able to do in this world. I think there’s so many people who’re doing so many great things, that there’s a place for you, no matter where you look.

There’s a community that you can find anywhere that fits within the things that you want to do and serve, to work towards the experience and world that you want to build.

Keep yourself open to those opportunities, and look for those experiences, and you’ll find the people who’re looking for you, and who you’re looking for.

This year, PAX warmly welcomed Eunice Amador to the PAX program as a new academic advisor. A graduate from DePaul, Eunice is excited for students to get to know her as winter quarter arrives.
As a first-generation college student, Eunice knew that getting a higher education required staying close to home. In her search for the right pick, she landed on DePaul.

“What I loved about DePaul was just that city feel,” Eunice said about her decision. “I’ve always loved Chicago and like that city view and all that, and I loved being able to have that on campus.”
For her undergraduate degree, Eunice majored in Psychology and minored in Sociology and Latin American and Latino studies.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do with any of those, but I was like this is what I love and this is what I’m going to study,” Eunice said laughing.

Eunice spoke highly of her time at DePaul as an undergraduate student. “As you can see, I never left,” she said.

Graduating from undergraduate in 2014, Eunice decided to stay at the university to earn her master’s degree which she completed in 2018.

Now, she’s still at DePaul where she has spent the last three years as an academic advisor for the Criminology department and the School of Public Service under LAS.

“I think it’s so funny that now I’m kind of on the other end at PAX,” she said.

Along with PAX, Eunice is also an advisor for the African and Black Diaspora Studies, Latin American and Latino Studies, Islamic World Studies, Modern Languages, and Writing Rhetoric and Discourse programs.
On the topic of what brought her to PAX she said, “I just have a little more love for the majors that I advise now. It’s something a little closer to my heart than the programs I was advising for before.”

When asked what advising looks like to her, Eunice responded, “Officially I’m here to help students basically get from orientation to graduation, so I can help the students with anything in between- enrolling in classes, any substitution issues, or you need help with an internship- those artificial academic issues and concerns students may have.”

For Eunice, advising can mean more than meeting with students here and there, concerning academic issues.

“I do have a lot of students who have kind of started to build a more personal relationship with me where we meet maybe once a quarter just to chat- you know ‘how’s it going, how are things, how’s that job you applied for- stuff like that,” she said. “So, I do try to build a little bit more of a relationship with my students.”
Eunice said she aims to be visible and available to students under her advising.

“I’m trying to kind of show you guys and make more of an appearance and awareness of what I do,” she said. “I’m on your side. I’m really here to be an advocate for you. So even though I am the bearer of bad news sometimes, I will do my best to help you and to get you to wherever it is that you need to be.”

Outside of DePaul, Eunice hopes to serve on the board of Chicago Artist Guide, a non-profit that aims to bring greater diversity to the theater and art world in Chicago.

On a more personal note, Eunice describes herself as energetic. She said, “I am really passionate, I love DePaul, and I love helping students. I’ve always loved helping people.”

With a smile she added, “I would describe myself as being fun. I love going to events- I’m a very social person, more extroverted than introverted.”

Tasked with helping to raise her nieces and nephews, Eunice explained that she, despite being the youngest of three, has more of an older sibling attitude.

Eunice added that she is particularly fond of her dog Obi, a retriever mix who she’s convinced is actually a boxer mix. She is also the proud owner of two cats, Arya and Batman.

With experience under her belt and a passion for helping others, Eunice is excited to be a part of PAX.
In reaching out to Eunice with questions, email works best and she can be reached at emoral11@depaul.edu. For appointments, she suggests students utilize the Blue Star portal.