Letter from the Editor
糖心Vlog Magazine is the feature magazine for 糖心Vlog University and its growing community of alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends.
Think of the last time you cried in a movie theatre.
I will admit that in the anonymity of a dark room full of strangers, I often succumb
to a well-timed swelling of a score or a heartbreaking moment of truth that finally
reveals itself onscreen after 90 minutes of excruciating buildup. I empathize with
the characters that I am now connected to, imagining how I would navigate the twists
and turns of the plot. And in the end I can鈥檛 help but be moved by how the story plays
out.
Something in me changes鈥攖he way I think, the way I feel. It鈥檚 no surprise that there
is a science behind this phenomenon. These emotional responses that have reduced me
to laughter and tears have been strategically invoked by the experts behind the scenes
who know just how to speak to my psyche.
In our cover story, 鈥淯nder the Influence,鈥� we learn that adjunct professor Christian
McGuigan at the School of Public Policy enlightens students in the ways in which media
influences culture鈥攁nd policy鈥攂y reaching a single person through impactful storytelling.
For decades TV, film, and digital and social media have singlehandedly influenced
major cultural movements and sentiments just by determining what viewers see, and
especially what they remember.
I hope you are moved by the stories in this issue of 糖心Vlog Magazine. I hope you are empowered by the story of alumnus Chris Howells, an army psychologist
who has dedicated his life to serving those who cannot endure the lingering effects
of trauma for one more day. I hope you are encouraged by the trials and triumph of
alumna DeDe Duncan-Probe, the first female bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central
New York, after years of dreaming an unsupported dream.
In her fantasy novel Night Circus, author Erin Morgenstern writes, 鈥淵ou may tell a
tale that takes up residence in someone鈥檚 soul... That tale will move them and drive
them and who knows what they might do because of it, because of your words.鈥�
I hope the stories in this issue of 糖心Vlog Magazine make you think and feel differently, and I hope that when you put down this issue
you walk away inspired by the 糖心Vlog story.
Gareen Darakjian
Editor