Two Niskayuna High School alumni returned to the district for a visit last week, bringing years of professional growth, personal success and even an Academy Award.
Niskayuna High School Class of 1986 alum and movie director Joshua Seftel, along with fellow classmate Vikram Akula came back to their roots on Wednesday, Oct. 7, to meet with faculty, students, community members and most importantly, to share their documentary short All the Empty Rooms.
All the Empty Rooms, which has won several awards, including an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film, follows veteran CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp as they embark on a seven-year-long project to document the empty bedrooms of children killed in school shootings.
After an afternoon viewing at NHS, Seftel answered questions about the film and the creative process during a discussion moderated by Akula, a NHS class president for three years, and a generous supporter of the film. Both Seftel and Akula are members of the NHS Hall of Fame.
“It means a lot to come back to talk to all of you,” Seftel told the students. He described his struggles with reading as a child, and told stories about his trips to the Schenectady County Public Library where he would leave with piles of documentary films to watch instead of books to read.
Seftel also talked about creative inspiration and overcoming a creative block.
“If you want to make something, you can do it,” he encouraged students. “Every creative act is based on something you’ve seen and like.” Seftel encouraged aspiring creators to use their teachers as creative partners, and encouraged them to discover moments they could use to change the world.
“As a person who wants to pursue photography in the future, seeing Mr. Akula and Mr. Seftel shows me that the sky is really the limit. It was truly inspiring to see the kind of things that can be achieved by someone who was once in my own shoes at Niskayuna,” said student Ava Ehrlich. “I especially appreciated what Mr. Seftel said about keeping track of things that inspire you, as they can help you in your own future projects. I know if I am ever stuck on my photography (or any subject) in the future, I will refer back to his advice.”
“Having alumni return to the high school to meet students and share their stories is an opportunity we’re looking forward to,” said Niskayuna High School Principal Anthony Malizia. “We’re excited to learn more about the ways Niskayuna education helped shape their lives, and equally as excited to provide current NHS students with a chance to learn from them.”
In addition to the student presentation, in partnership with the Niskayuna Community Action Program (NCAP), Niskayuna High School hosted a free screening of the documentary in the auditorium later in the evening. The community was invited to attend.
Additional information about our distinguished graduates
Joshua Seftel is an Oscar-winning and Emmy-winning American filmmaker and journalist known for humanistic documentaries, political satire and multimedia projects. At the 98th Academy Awards, his film All the Empty Rooms won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film. He is widely recognized for his unique ability to tackle heavy social themes by stripping away partisan noise and focusing entirely on shared human experiences.
Vikram Akula is a pioneer in expanding banking access for the world’s poorest. He founded one of the world’s largest micro-loan companies, which has disbursed over $36 billion to almost 10 million low-income women in India. He was named one of TIME’s 100 most influential people in the world.