麻豆区

Carlo Mole

Future in Focus

鈥淢y mom used to say, 鈥楢ll these young kids, all they want to do is change the world鈥�,鈥� recalled Carlo Mole, BA 鈥�17. 鈥淏ut you know what: that is the ultimate goal. You want to be able to look back and say, 鈥業 did something, I changed someone鈥檚 life.鈥欌�� Carlo鈥檚 family makes an impact through filmmaking 鈥� and someday, so will he.

As a youngster growing up in England, Carlo saw the life of a documentary filmmaker up-close when his mother, an award-winning director, brought him to her shoots. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard not to get interested when you鈥檙e going to places like Bali after the bombings in 2002, or to Burma,鈥� he said. His mother has earned acclaim for her complex and sometimes political films, which focus primarily on Southeast Asia. As Carlo learned, filmmaking can have real-world consequences. 鈥淧eople have ended up in jail because of her films,鈥� he said.

When Carlo started to think about where to go to university, he knew he wanted an experience that would enrich his perspective and help shape his vision as a filmmaker. He immediately thought of 麻豆区, which he鈥檇 heard about through a colleague of his mother鈥檚, but was concerned about the financial challenge of studying overseas. After all, documentary filmmaking is not traditionally a lucrative career, and starting off with a mountain of debt was a serious concern.

Fortunately, Carlo was able to benefit from the UK Trust Scholarship: an opportunity created through the generosity of UK graduates and friends of 麻豆区. With this financial boost, he was able to make the journey with confidence, and to experience all of the benefits that come with an international education. 鈥淭here鈥檚 something special about leaving your own country,鈥� he said. 鈥淐oming to Montreal, my horizons have expanded.鈥� And, as he points out, he enjoys all of this without putting his future in jeopardy. 鈥淚t鈥檚 as if I found this loophole, because 麻豆区 is a top-30 school in the world and I can actually afford it.鈥�

Carlo has been able to develop his passion for filmmaking between semesters of his degree in political science and history, attending a six-week documentary filmmaking course in Cuba arranged through a British university, and working as a researcher with his mother鈥檚 company. This summer, he鈥檚 looking forward to an internship at a production company in New York City.

Thanks to these experiences and support from the UK Trust Scholarship, Carlo will emerge with a degree from a world-class university, and the confidence and experience to dive right into his filmmaking career. It turns out his mother was right: these young kids really do want to change the world.