In preparation for the upcoming Media Boot Camp, students in the Media Xperiments program have to do a series of media mash ups on 6 key concepts. One of those concepts is Cultural Capital. Coined by the Pierre Bourdieu, Cultural Capital is more or less the sum of all your experiences and relationships that makes you more likely to be successful at something than someone who has not had those experiences.
I require them to study the term because Cultural Capital lies at the heart of what Media Xperiments is all about. We are here to help students build the relationships and experiences that will ultimately put them in a position to be more successful. The video I've placed here was done by Irving Medina. Just a month ago, it was doubtful whether Irving would qualify for the camp. He was not doing the required assignments even though he professed to really want to participate in the camp.

I dropped by his school and more or less confronted him but in an encouraging way. I challenged him to show me that he deserved to be a part of the camp and eventually a Media Protege. Irving has taken this challenge to heart and I have seen the light turn on. Irving's mind is "engaged". He is thinking critically and acting with purpose. He's making the transition from being a passive consumer to an active producer and it makes me proud to see him doing so.