In the Fishbowl, between the Cotter Union lobby and the Spa, past and present students from Professor Phyllis Mannocchi's American studies class American Dreams: The Documentary Film Perspective projected The Colby Difference on screen. Documentary videos showed dispossessed teenagers, Waterville firefighters, a Latino bodega, convicted felons who visit schools to scare students straight and women who perform as exotic dancers in Lewiston.

The course description reads: "Through a series of essays, students work toward a creative resolution of our issues and dilemmas." Mannocchi says the course gets students in touch with a larger community and its problems. The students are transformed, sensitized to worlds outside the Colby campus and empowered by their own success as video technicians and storytellers.

"I had no idea my team was capable of creating something we would be so proud of," said Lindsay Hayes '99, who came back to Colby to introduce a video about Waterville teenagers struggling on the margins of society. "It's amazing how invested we got," she said. "It makes me want to make a difference. It makes me want to be a thoughtful and present parent when that time comes for me. It shows how important parents and teachers are," said Hayes, who is applying to graduate programs in education. "I keep a copy of that video with me always; I'm so proud of it."

Mark Edgar '01 showed a documentary on Waterville firefighters. The son of a police officer, he volunteered at the Waterville Fire Department and got the feeling that "no one ever listens to these guys."

After an intense semester in production, Edgar and his team showed their video last spring in the annual American Dreams presentation. Six fire trucks parked outside Given Auditorium that night, and the firemen watched. Said Edgar, "All eight of these big, burly guys had tears in their eyes," watching the video probe feelings about accident victims they couldn't save, risks they live with and a comrade who succumbed to cancer. At the end it was the firefighters who received a standing ovation.

"This is the thing I'll take away from Colby and show people," Edgar said. "Phyllis has the power like I've never seen in a professor to motivate students."