Student Profile
Kasey Hartmann,
Kasey Hartmann’s father and grandfather were professional firefighters. She’s following in their footsteps as a student in the Fire Science program.
While growing up in Salem, N.H., Kasey knew at a young age that she wanted to become a firefighter and paramedic. After graduating high school, she chose SMCC because firefighters she knew in Salem told her SMCC’s program was the place to go.
As a Fire Science live-in student, Kasey lives at a Scarborough fire station while attending SMCC. She works alongside professional firefighters and EMTs when responding to fires, car accidents or, on one occasion, even retrieving a cat from a tree.
In the classroom, she says faculty are there to help her “in a heartbeat” if she has a problem with something.
Through her classroom learning and her hands-one experience in the Fire Science program’s live-in program, she knows she’ll be well-prepared to enter the professional ranks upon graduation.
“This is preparing me for the future. This is just the beginning and I know this is where I want to be.”
Alumni Profile
Jack Rohner, film skills
Jack Rohner came to SMCC to learn skills that would lead to a career in film. He’s doing just that, making a living working on full-length feature films, short films, documentaries, commercials, music videos and more.
Jack was sold on the Communications and New Media Studies program after visiting SMCC while in high school. At SMCC, he learned not only the technical skills involved in film production, but also about the value of motivation, hard work and community.
While earning his degree, he also met people in the industry through Professor Corey Norman, who teaches video production and owns his own filmmaking company.
Since leaving SMCC in 2016, Jack has worked on numerous film projects. He recently worked as a set lighting technician on two full-length feature films that will be released later this year. “Eve” is an action thriller starring Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell and John Malkovich; “Knives Out” is a crime mystery whose cast includes Daniel Craig, Lakeith Stanfield, Don Johnson and Christopher Plummer.
Jack spends a lot of time in Boston on films, but he also works out of Portland on short films, music videos, commercials and video productions for organizations and businesses. The photo above shows him in New York City while working on a short documentary for the United Nations.
“My long-term goal is to be a cinematographer telling important and interesting stories in narrative fiction and nonfiction.”