Patrick Gilfether OC ‘15

Syiah Kuala University, Indonesia (2015-17)

Patrick Gilfether graduated in May 2015 with a degree in Cinema Studies. Patrick, a native of Oberlin, is a self-driven and adventurous traveler. During high school, he received a scholarship from the Explorer’s Club in New York to travel to Antarctica through a program called Students on Ice. Following his high-school gradutation, Patrick spent a self-financed gap year traveling through Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Nepal and Bali. While enrolled at Oberlin, Patrick spent a semester studying documentary film at Prague Film School and received an In-Asia grant from Shansi to learn about rock climbing in China. Through his work as a Bonner Scholar, Patrick has completed almost 1500 hours of community service. Patrick is co-chair of the Oberlin Film Coop, and he has shared his skills as a filmmaker with local middle and high school students through the Apollo Outreach Initiative. He has tutored children in literacy skills for America Reads, made a film promoting the Bonner Center’s Community Service Work-Study Program, and provided college application guidance to students at Oberlin High School. Patrick is thrilled to be going to Banda Aceh and looks forward to teaching and making “moving portraits” of the friends he makes there. He sees the Shansi Fellowship as a unique opportunity to develop new perspectives on international and cross-cultural work while simultaneously having the space and time to develop as a teacher and filmmaker. You can see some of his films on his Vimeo account.