Olympic College to be featured in 'The College Tour' video series by Amazon Prime Video
Telling the story of colleges and universities across America through the authentic lens of real students.
That's the motivation behind "The College Tour," according to show host, creator and executive producer Alex Boylan, who spent time this week on campus at Olympic College. OC will be featured on the 11th season of "The College Tour" on Amazon Prime Video this spring.
"The energy, excitement for the students here is strong," Boylan said.
Featuring 30-minute episodes, "The College Tour" has featured over 100 schools both big and small, including two in-state schools: the University of Puget Sound and Central Washington University. OC, which annually serves over 8,500 students at its main campus in Bremerton and satellite campuses in Poulsbo and Shelton, will be the first community college in Washington to be featured.
The idea for the show, which premiered in 2020, began when Boylan helped his niece search for colleges as a high schooler. "The College Tour" focuses on attracting prospective students who may not be able to visit and tour campuses around the country. Episodes typically feature 10 current/former students of various backgrounds as they discuss campus-life and community, as well as their courses of study and experiences.
OC will be featuring Mora Morales (film-making program), Anne Edwards (practical nursing), Drew Warrington (engineering program), Guyland Charles (student-athlete), Jeffrey Timm (a military veteran enrolled at Western Washington University/OC in Poulsbo), Keya Rohlman (OC alumni grant funding), Ryha Sisson (Running Start at OC in Shelton), Tina Habibullah (a military dependent nursing student), Tovi Agtay (OC Bachelor's degree graduate, career center staff) and Vecksle Drake (alumni, transfer to University of Washington).
"It's just neat to hear from actual students sharing their story," said Shawn Devine, OC's executive director of communications, web and marketing.
Boylan, a former collegiate soccer player at Jacksonville University and winner on Season 2 of "The Amazing Race" back in 2002, spoke during a lecture and Q&A session on Wednesday at OC's William D. Harvey Theatre. He encouraged students in attendance to discover what they are passionate about and not be afraid of changing course.
"Finding out what you don't like and what you are not good at," he said, "is just as important as finding out about what you love."
Boylan only discovered his love for media storytelling after he graduated. His first job out of college was as a financial market analyst. He hated it.
Now that he's found his true calling, Boylan looks forward to taking "The College Tour" to more institutions like OC. He estimates 15-20% of the schools he's visited have been community colleges. For many students across the country, he said that's the perfect first step after high school.
"This is a great place to explore and try new things," he said.
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Amazon show to feature Olympic College in 'The College Tour'
