Virtual Film Screening Takes In-Depth Look at College Admissions

TRY HARDER_
“Try Harder!” pulls back the curtain on the reality of the college application process and the intersection of class, race and opportunity through the eyes of high school seniors applying to America’s top schools.

For Immediate Release

Virtual Film Screening Takes In-Depth Look at College Admissions

LINCOLN, Neb. (April 12, 2022) – A free online screening and live discussion of the film “Try Harder,” at 7 p.m. CT, Tuesday, April 26, will explore the dreams and anxieties about getting into a top university and if college is worth the grind.

The virtual event is part of the Indie Lens Pop-Up series presented by ITVS, the PBS television series “Independent Lens” and Nebraska Public Media.

To register for this free online event, visit NebraskaPublicMedia.org/engage.

At Lowell High School, the top public high school in San Francisco, college admission is at its most competitive within its high achieving, city-wide student body -- nearly 70 percent Asian American -- as they work tirelessly to get into their dream schools.

“Try Harder!” pulls back the curtain on the reality of the college application process and the intersection of class, race and opportunity through the eyes of high school seniors applying to America’s top schools.

The film encompasses perspectives of students from all walks of life at Lowell: an outgoing aspiring surgeon and son of Taiwanese and Chinese immigrants who spends his time dancing between classes; the daughter of Chinese immigrants who’s both captain of the tennis team and editor of the school newspaper; and an aspiring writer who, as a biracial African American and white student at Lowell, is in the minority. The students proudly own their identities as “nerds” and tell their stories with candor and humor, despite the weighty and immense stress of the admissions process.

After the screening, join panelists Nuria Lemus, bilingual college planning specialist, EducationQuest Foundation; Shauntee Mims, second-year student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a 2020 graduate of Omaha North Magnet High School; Moises Padilla, director, Nebraska College Preparatory Academy (moderator) and Nayla Torres Ruiz, first-year student at UNL and a 2021 graduate of Grand Island Senior High School. Mims and Torres Ruiz are Nebraska College Preparatory Academy scholars.

The NCPA is an innovative college access program that prepares academically-talented, first-generation, income-eligible students for college and their future careers. EducationQuest Foundation is a nonprofit organization with a mission to improve access to higher education in Nebraska, providing free college planning services, need-based scholarship programs, college access grants for high schools, college access resources for middle schools, and outreach services for community agencies.

Panelists will discuss the documentary and reflect on how the pressures of high school and the college admissions process is impacting American children from a diversity of backgrounds. Indie Lens Pop-Up and Nebraska Public Media aim to spark enlightening conversations that shed light on these issues.

“Try Harder,” from filmmaker Debbie Lum, premieres on Independent Lens Monday, May 2 on PBS.org and the PBS Video App. It airs on Nebraska Public Media at 10 p.m. CT, Sunday, May 8.

Visit NebraskaPublicMedia.org/engage for the latest information.

Indie Lens Pop-Up is a free neighborhood series that brings people together for virtual films screenings and community-driven conversations. Featuring documentaries seen on PBS’s “Independent Lens,” Indie Lens Pop-Up draws local residents, leaders and organizations to discuss what matters most, from newsworthy topics and social issues, to family and community relationships. Make friends, share stories and join the conversation online.

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MEDIA CONTACTS: Sandi Karstens, 402-470-6578

About Nebraska Public Media

Nebraska Public Media has been dedicated to connecting Nebraskans through news, sports, education, and entertainment for nearly 70 years. Providing global news and compelling stories from PBS and NPR, Nebraska Public Media also produces award-winning original content. Its programs and services reach 1 million people each month across the state on television, radio, online and mobile platforms. Visit NebraskaPublicMedia.org for more information.