For many Film students, college can feel like stepping into a dark theater without a show. Internships don’t always follow a clear timeline, career paths to the industry are rarely linear, and guidance often feels geared toward more traditional majors. That uncertainty is where sophomore Brianna Gapsiewicz found purpose.
Gapsiewicz is a double major in Film and Media Arts (BFA) and Journalism with a minor in Business. She is also a peer mentor in the Mustang Mentors program, who joined after receiving an email from the film department encouraging students to sign up.
“I wish I had someone to walk me through what film classes look like and what a film internship even is,” Gapsiewicz said. “It’s so different from the mainstream emails we get about business or other majors. I really wanted to be that person for someone else.”
That desire led her to her mentee Sofia Hsin, a first-year Film and Engineering student adjusting to campus life. While the mentorship is academic in structure, Gapsiewicz said their conversations often center on connection and reassurance. Sofia shared that she wanted to get involved but struggled to find a sense of community.
“When she told me that, it just clicked,” Gapsiewicz said. “We talked about what she was interested in and I was like, ‘I really think you would love Student Foundations.’ Sometimes people just need someone to point them in the right direction.”
For Gapsiewicz, mentorship is especially important in film, an industry where relationships play a central role.
“Film is really all about who you know,” she said. “The way you progress and get internships is so different from other majors. It’s reassuring to talk to someone who’s gone before you and can say you’re doing the right things.”
The experience has also expanded Gapsiewicz’s own perspective. Sofia is a double major in Film and Engineering and hopes to work in immersive visual design for theme park rides.
“That completely opened my mind,” Gapsiewicz said. “I never even thought about film being used that way.”
Their mentorship has grown into a genuine friendship. The two even discovered they attended the same cycling class and coincidentally arrived at the same time slot once and had a blast at the campus gym. They now often meet at the dining hall to talk.
“Nothing feels forced,” Gapsiewicz said. “It’s really just getting to know a person.” For students considering Mustang Mentors, she emphasized that the program is “approachable and rewarding”.
“Don’t be intimidated by the time commitment,” she said. “We meet about once a month. You get to connect, give advice and help someone feel less alone.”
For Film students navigating an industry without a clear roadmap, Mustang Mentors offers a starting point. Through the Office of Engaged Learning, students can connect with peers who, as Gapsiewicz puts it, “have already taken the steps you’re just beginning.”
Haley Kim presented a poster at the American Chemical Society SE & SW Regional Meeting in Orlando.
Roberto Diaz presented a poster at the Texas Undergraduate Conference for Social Sciences at UNT.
