Michael Irons, Jr.

Communications Major
Transferred from Dowling College 

A communications major with a concentration in moving image arts, Michael Irons, Jr., intends to enter the production business after his expected May 2013 graduation. During his nonprofit-sector internship in the Community Fellows Program, Michael made good use of his production skills. 

“During the summer, I was a video production intern at New York Metro InfraGard, which is a public/private alliance with the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” he said. “This organization utilizes experts from the private sector to investigate physical and cybersecurity issues that occur within New York State. I assisted in IGTV, which is a weekly Web broadcast that aired on Tuesday mornings.” In addition, he produced a two-minute infomercial and three-minute internship video that described last summer’s program. 

“These videos,” he noted, “have been archived on the company website for all InfraGard members to see.” 

Michael, who spent two years at Dowling College before transferring, said he chose Adelphi for its sense of community, communications programs and transfer scholarships. 

“I began researching the Adelphi website, searching for opportunities that would provide a sense of empowerment for me,” he noted. “I discovered that Adelphi had classes pertaining to making movies, for example.” 

Having sought a sense of community at Adelphi, Michael found two campus clubs of particular interest— the Commuter Club and Works in Progress. 

“I thought these groups would provide that sense of community for me, and during my time they have definitely served that purpose,” he said. With the Commuter Club, he said he took part in a “very rewarding” charity event at Ronald McDonald House, where he got a chance to cook hot meals for some of the parents and children who were temporarily housed in one of the charity residences. 

Through Works in Progress (WIP), he made friendships with the group members, many of whom were also communications majors. “I thought that would have been critical when looking for assistance with my projects for class,” he said, “but WIP turned out to be much more than that. I actually gained valuable experience with event promotions and organizing and assisting in student film festivals.” 

To Michael, the biggest lesson learned from his transfer experience was “that you shouldn’t give up on yourself. You have to remain steadfast, and just keep pushing forward until you get where you want to be.” 

Two faculty members whom he praised are Associate Professor Terrence Ross and adjunct professor Tom Campbell. “I really am grateful for their support because without them I would probably be in a different major or still unsure about what my academic goals were,” Michael said. 

Mr. Ross, his adviser, “has always been in my corner from the time I transferred in and he was the one who drew me into filmmaking,” Michael said. His two classes with Mr. Campbell taught him about the production side of filmmaking and gave him valuable experience in audio recordings and sound design. 

Upon graduation, Michael hopes to “go straight into the production business and land a job at a post-production house in Manhattan. My short-term goal is to get established in video editing.” 

Once he starts making money, he said, his long-term objective is to go to New York University or New York Film Academy to get a master’s degree in directing.