Julia Fiorillo - Proposal

For my Final Project, I have decided to photograph downtown State College. As I have been a part of this community for the past 4 weeks, I have really begun to love and appreciate the home-like feel of this town. Growing up around towns like Downingtown and Westchester I have always enjoyed being able to walk around and appreciate the beauty that has made it whole. It is always so refreshing to see lively people walking around with smiles on their faces, eating, talking, just enjoying a nice day out in a safe community. One of the main reasons I came to Penn State is because it had the home feeling. I knew coming here I would make a bond with this place just like my home town. There are so many things that make this town unique: whether it be the street art, and paintings on buildings, the people rocking their Penn state attire, all the different coffee shops, stores, and fun places to eat: like Gumpy’s and Canyon Pizza, and the pretty landscape all around to make it feel naturalistic. Because Penn State University is going to be my home for the next 4 years, I want to photograph the things, places, and people around downtown that draw me into them. This weekend I will set aside time to just walk through town and admire the beauty of State College. I’ll explore different places that I haven’t been before and maybe talk to some locals and get their story as to how they came to live here. I am excited to discover new the back bones of this town and what makes it unique. Like every town, it has something special to it, so throughout this project I’d like to find a certain spot in downtown State College that I can go to and relax and be me. I hope I take the time to really photograph the parts of downtown that people can be drawn to and be like: “Wow State College is somewhere I can see myself being.”