Ever enjoyed a drink from the Bean? You can thank him. Ever enjoyed a campus event? You can thank him.
Senior film & media arts major Thane Syswerda has worked multiple jobs and involved himself in leadership roles. He is a barista for the Jumping Bean, a content creator for Professor of Film and Media Arts John Bruner, a member of Birrama Creative and the vice president of Inter-Class Council (ICC).
Syswerda began working at the Bean in 2022. As an Upland resident, he has seen the Bean go from a local family-owned cafe to a dining services company in the student center.
“My favorite part (about the job) is being able to play music,” Syswerda said. “I’m able to just listen to my own style of music with my speaker. Then it really just puts me in the mood of what I need to be working on.”
Syswerda’s favorite drink to make is the “senior drink,” which is a white mocha latte with chai cold foam. This can either work as a cold brew or a simple latte, he said.
One of the main difficulties working at the Bean is near the end of the shift when an employee is mentally tired, but still wanting to push forward.
“I think there’s a certain point where you are a little bit done with your day, and you just want to go back and go rest for a little bit,” Syswerda said. “But I realized that this is my last semester, and this is who I want to be, and therefore, I need to continue to be that positive light to some people, because everyone else can be having a bad day.”
As vice president of the senior class of ICC, Syswerda’s main responsibility is to organize events going on around campus. One of his favorite and most important events to set up is Airband, which includes watching auditions and being a master of ceremony.
He also enjoyed setting up Taylathon last fall.
“We wanted to go off the idea of some sort of cars theme,” Syswerda said. “And we went with Mario. I was really excited for that. And not only that, but also being on Birrama Creative. It was fun to help make that commercial as well. So being able to make that commercial for Taylathon, and then also be a part of it was probably one of my favorite Taylathons.”
One of the challenges of ICC is the collaboration. While it’s fun for most of the time, Syswerda said that there are opinions and decisions that don’t go through, especially when groups work very hard in these potential decisions.
As a film major, one of Syswerda’s recent projects was a short film about a daughter working in space who has to decide between becoming the new generation of a planet, or returning to Earth with her father. Syswerda is working with seniors Patrick Marsh, Chloe Gard, JP Susantio and Nathan Montalvo.
“That is honestly the most honorable group to be in,” Syswerda said. “I think each one of them is incredibly talented in their God-given gifts.”
The film will be showing on May 17 at 7 p.m.
One of Syswerda’s favorite things about being a film major is getting to talk with his professors on a personal level, such as getting coffee with them and chatting about anything. He enjoys his classes focusing more on hands-on projects rather than exams.
“It’s a lot more based around your project,” Syswerda said. “And if you can do the task, there’s a difference between knowing how to do the task and being able to execute…that task. ”
Syswerda’s key to balancing his many roles and responsibilities was given to him by his pastor, who said that to have a great day, he needs to start off with a great morning.
Syswerda likes to start his mornings off with time to himself by waking up around an hour before class and taking the time to do devotions as well as praying and journaling.
“I think being able to have that time for yourself is very valuable and important,” Syswerda said. “Because sometimes, my days can last from 9 am to 11 pm, which is a little bit scary at some points where I worry about if I’m going to crash, but I think the Lord provides for me in so many ways, and provides me with peace through that. So honestly, if you were able to find time for yourself, and that can be early in the morning, or late at night, then God will be able to help balance you through everything.”
Through his roles, Syswerda has learned how diverse the Taylor community is. He gets to know people who lean toward the artistic side in his major, but he also gets to know people who like to plan events and parties and are slightly perfectionistic, when working in ICC.
“So in a way, I realized that Taylor is very diverse, but we’re all able to work together in some certain viewpoint and standard,” he said. “And I think that’s super exciting to see the Lord working through everybody throughout that entire process.”
