About
I was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, but what set me apart as a child was the fact that I was the youngest of the five Partington kids (the kids with unusual names, and I obviously carried on that tradition). Being the baby gave me some special privileges, like following in my siblings’ footsteps as far as swimming competitively (better to swim than to endure those long meets), playing cello (to my sister’s violin), and singing with the Christ Church Cathedral choir (if you were a Partington, you sang for Dr. Burgomaster).
But…what really caught my attention was traveling. When I was 12, I went with the Christ Church choir to spend two weeks singing in England and France, at such notable Cathedrals as Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral. I was officially bitten and hooked by the travel bug. (Oh, did I mention the hikes Dr. B’s wife forced us on—we also got in shape overseas.)
So…when I went to Ball State University to major in Telecommunications and Digital Imaging, I was particularly excited to spend a semester in London my sophomore year. There I had myriad adventures, including being stranded alone in Italy during a transportation strike where I spent the whole night trying to learn Italian or meet some nice people who knew it to help me get to the Florence airport. It was quite the adventure!
Back at Ball State, life was a little tamer, but I did enjoy having my own radio show on WCRD. My show aired once a week for two years, and my radio persona was known as DJ HP Sweetz.
I always loved photography, but at Ball State I also developed a passion for film and behind-the-scenes production work. During the summer of my junior year, I worked on a student movie project called Free Wall, as the Director of Photography for one of the shoots. I also shot film with a Sony F900 in high definition and worked as a personal grip. The film premiered at the IMAX Theater in Indianapolis and was shown at the Heartland Film Festival Indianapolis in October of 2009. (www.free-wall-movie.blogspot.com/)
In the fall of 2009, I also was selected to be part of a limited student crew to travel to Arkansas as part of an electronic field trip to produce a live television show on the “Little Rock Nine.” That show was aired live to students around the world. We interviewed some of the original people who were called the “Little Rock Nine.” I also put together short montages to play while the program was being aired. On the day of the actual broadcast, I manned one of the cameras. (www.bsu.edu/eft)
But I never forgot my love of photography. I continued to take pictures everywhere I went. In 2008, I helped produce a cookbook for the Food Production Class of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. I hope to continue to study photography and pursue further work in that field in the future.
Here are some of my past awards and achievements:
- Dean’s list for two years
- Straight-A student two semesters
- Christ Church Grebe Scholarship—four years
- Leadership role in the campus club, Cardinal Filmworks
- Worked with Best Buddies for two years, serving as a mentor and friend to people with intellectual disabilities
- Certified scuba diver
- Sketch Comedy club: “Something Else”
- WCRD Promotions
- Studied abroad in London—produced video piece aired in Cockpit Theatre