On June 2 Gwen Mathis graduated high school from Kouts High School (KHS). During the graduation ceremony Mathis did not let the next chapter of her life leave her in tears but in an exuberant amount of excitement for the future.
“It was a sad but happy moment. I was just so excited for the next chapter of my life. So many people say high school changes you completely or is the best part of your life, but I feel like I’ll have many more bests after school. So I was excited to graduate and start my future,” said Mathis.
During her time at KHS, Mathis was heavily involved in the music programs and a vocational program titled Television and Radio. Mathis’ decision to take part in the music programs at KHS was due to her never ending love of music; she participated in both the KHS choir and glee club titled the Kouts Singers for all of her high school career.
At her vocational at Porter County career and Technical Center in Valpo, Mathis realized what her most heartfelt passion was, becoming a film director. One of Mathis’ favorite parts of the film vocational was when they did a ten day film challenge and she got to film a mockumentary similar to 'The Office.' Mathis also enjoyed being able to enter the film competition titled Indiana Association of School Broadcasters (IASB) where she got to enter a music video she produced.
“I love video production and directing. Even if it's just a small personal project. Film really has encompassed me. I would love to be a director one day,” Mathis said.
When speaking in terms of big time directing companies, Mathis’ dream company to work for would be A24 due to their incredible and out of the box productions. To Mathis A24 has a lot of investigative symbolism, which is something she’s a big fan of, and she loves how they tell their story in such a unique way. Some of A24’s recent projects are 'Euphoria' and 'Midsommar,' films and television shows Mathis has found quite intriguing. With her love of music and production it’s no surprise that another one of her dream careers would be to become a music video producer.
“Music videos that have storylines is what I would really enjoy working on. I would love to work with musicians. I love working with people, meeting new people, and being able to have my own ideas come to life” said Mathis.
Mathis is excited as to where her career will flourish and hopes it involves film in one way or another. In her free time Mathis enjoys making friendship bracelets, listening to punk/alternative music like 21 Pilots and My Chemical Romance, going to concerts, hanging out with her all time favorite cat Romeo, reading novels like 'The Great Gatsby,' creating art, watching and creating Tik Toks, driving around with friends, going to Target, walking around Valparaiso’s downtown area, watching a good movie, and enjoying all that the city of Valparaiso has to offer.