Student-led project celebrates students “that are both extraordinary and ordinary at the same time.”

April 23, 2020—Even during these unprecedented times, the “For the Record” team is still committed to sharing incredible student stories. Typically, the effort culminates in an on campus exhibition plus a website—both featuring portraits and interviews of the selected students. This year, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the physical exhibition could not take place. The team rallied together to create a completely digital alternative to what they had originally planned.

Established in 2017, “For the Record” is a student-produced journalistic endeavor that features Marist students from all backgrounds with a wide variety of interests. This year’s 24 student profiles will be rolled out once per weekday on For the Record’s Instagram account (@marist.ftr) and at maristft.com beginning Monday, April 27.

A Look Back
“When "For the Record" first started in 2017, it was so eye opening to all that were involved,” said Tara Guaimano ‘20, Editor-in-Chief of the Marist Circle and Special Advisor to the “For the Record” project. “We uncovered fascinating stories about our fellow students.”

Guaimano has been working with the “For the Record” team since her freshman year. “It is so special to me that I have been able to see this project through from it’s very beginning to where it is now,” said Guaimano. “During our first year we were still figuring out how we were going to do this, but it has turned out to be a great base for where we set the standards that we will keep into 2020 and beyond.”

Ken Guillaume ‘20, Marist Circle Managing Editor, had always wanted to be a part of the project. “I felt I could not graduate without being a part of this,” he said. As Editorial Director, Guillaume is responsible for setting the tone for each piece and keeping the writers on track. “We were really looking to get away from AP style in a traditional newswriting sense, so I handpicked a group of writers from the Circle and Center Field that I knew would be able to bring the same tone that we wanted to have in this project,” said Guillaume. “I definitely think we found that.”

Creative Diversity
Every year, “For the Record” seeks to incorporate the talents of many different students into producing its annual product. “This year, especially, we grew in the different disciplines of students that we have working on the project,” said Raphael Beretta ‘20, Marist Circle Creative Director and Executive Director of the project. “We had photographers, writers, videographers, graphic designers, and even an art team this year.” Beretta continued. “As Executive Director, I really got to oversee every aspect of the project from the art and the writing to the design. Ken [Guillaume] and I have really been collaborating a lot to make sure that the final body of work has one cohesive voice and that all of the aspects come together to create our vision.”

(L-R) Ken Huang, Raphael Beretta, Ben Ward

The art direction for this year will be a big change from 2018’s sleek, executive style portraits. “We wanted to incorporate new photographic techniques and use more color,” said Beretta. This year’s portraits of the “For the Record” subjects were shot by student photographers Chun-Li “Ken” Huang ’20 and Ben Thomas Ward ‘20. They worked using a new photo technique by using various color gels on their lighting setup to create a vibrant color effect on the subject.

“The photo shoot had some experimental components and a ton of pre-production. I’m really proud of our photography team for the work they put out at the end,” said Beretta.

2020 Nominations and Selections
The “For the Record” staff canvassed the entire College for potential recipients. The submission form, distributed to all academic schools, a multitude of offices around campus, and many professors allowed for a diverse group of initial candidates.

“We wanted to get away from student nominations only. We felt we would get more well-rounded nominations if we asked people representing every aspect of the Marist student experience. People show different sides of themselves at their clubs or activities than in class and vice-versa,” said Guaimano.

Last fall, nomination forms were sent to Marist faculty, club leaders, and staff from the Center for Multicultural Affairs, the Center for Student Athlete Enhancement, International Programs, the Office of Academic Affairs, and others. The nomination process was also publicized in the campus Events newsletter and in the Marist Circle.

“You sit next to people in class and you may not know anything about what it took for them to get to Marist or anything about their lives,” said Guaimano. “We hope that through this project the Marist community gets to learn so much more about their classmates.”

The team received nearly 200 nominations and, from there, selected 24 students to be featured.

“To only pick 24 students was really difficult, but we felt it was a good amount in order to be able to give every story the attention it deserved,” said Guaimano.

Some of the subjects for the 2020 “For the Record” include students that had to fight educational discrimination in their home countries, students overcoming their disabilities on campus, and students working on environmental issues. “We want to celebrate the elements of each student that are both extraordinary and ordinary at the same time," said Guillaume, “Many of these students think that their lives are much less interesting than they actually are. I know the campus community is going to enjoy these profiles.”

The Future
The “For the Record” initiative is still growing, and this year’s team has documented their process well so that the project can continue next year and beyond.

In 2018, when the last “For the Record” was released online, the website had 40,000 unique visitors to the site within one week.

Which students are included in “For the Record” this year? Find out starting on April 27.

“We hope that visitors to the website will see for themselves how much this project represents the campus as a whole,” said Guillaume. “My hope is these stories can resonate with students who may have gone through something similar, and they can feel as though their story is being shared through another student.”

Teaser posts about each featured student will be posted on the Marist “For the Record” Instagram page starting Monday, April 27. Each student’s feature and portrait will then be available on the “For the Record” website.

Top: Illustration by Nicole Carlyle ‘20