A hobby that started with making stop-motion movies on his mother’s snap camera turned into an area of work and study for HHS alumnus Benjamin Coffey. Coffey is a firm believer in the idea that one should take charge of their education, and that’s exactly what he did; he left HHS and went to finish up his high school education and get his associate’s degree at Liberty University through online programs.

“I like their hands-on aspect of things, being able to actually do things I want to do, while at the same time having an education,” Coffey said.

Since he moved into working on film sets and studying at the same time, Coffey has had the opportunity to travel across his community and the world to do film work with different organizations. His most recent venture included a trip to Thailand to film for an organization that trains individuals to fight the sex trade there.

“I felt like I was kind of in a dream to be honest because it didn’t feel real. The undercover stuff was pretty legit,” Coffey said.

Due to confidentiality reasons, Coffey could not share the details of his undercover cinematography experience in Thailand. In addition to filming with the organization in Thailand, Coffey has also worked with Chick-Fil-A and businesses around the community in his town of Lenoir, North Carolina to bring light to the lives and experiences of the individuals he covers.

“It’s definitely a way I can express myself and even tell other people’s stories. I love telling people’s stories, just going and shooting the lives that people have, the lives they’ve experienced, everything they’ve experienced, and it’s just cool seeing stuff I’ve never seen before,” Coffey said.

Until this point in his life, Coffey feels he has had a wild ride finding his place in the world as an individual and as a filmmaker. During that wild ride, he found that being who you are and not changing that is one of the most important parts of life along with taking his days step-by-step.

By living life one day at a time, Coffey has found that he was able to use what he has on any given day for that specific day. He started with a snap camera and used it to make stop motion, and now with professional equipment, Coffey creates professional films. With this in mind, he believes that this work-ethic will bring people closer to their goals in life.

“Don’t try to force yourself into your dream. Your dream will come to you, in my opinion,” Coffey said.