December Reed Writes In
December 10, 2025
Dear Will’s Place,
Hello, and Happy Holidays! This column will be shorter than most, since I’ll be spending the latter half of the month of December in Skokie, where I’ll be able to catch up with all of you in person! I’m planning to drive home with my mom on December 11. At Marquette, we each have to register to leave campus at a certain date and time, and no one is allowed to stay in the dorms over Winter Break. We have to get our rooms ready before we leave. People with refrigerators in their rooms, for example, need to defrost them; personally, I’ll need to get rid of some old copies of the university newspaper that are in my room, empty my trash and recycling, and make my bed. Some people are going to be living in different rooms when we come back from Winter Break, or might have new roommates; I have not requested a room change, and I live in a single-bed room, so I do not foresee either outcome happening for me.
The most important event from this month has been the approach of final exams. I had one official final exam–for Introduction to Digital Media Production–as well as a unit exam of sorts for Communication in Society. For other classes, I had reflective letters or final projects, which I spent a lot of time working on. At this point, I have completed all of my final exams and turned in all of my projects, so academically speaking, I am free as a bird! I feel more confident in my work on some projects and exams than on others, but overall, I don’t think I’ve done too poorly. It’s nice to no longer feel like new assignments are cropping up as soon as I’ve finished old ones, like some sort of homework Hydra. (That’s a monster from Greek mythology that had multiple heads, and could grow new heads if you cut any of them off.) One interesting final project I had to complete was my Final Film, which I worked on alongside other people for Intro to Digital Media Production (we had the project as well as the final exam). I had a role in editing the movie, alongside another group member; it’s fun to be able to put footage together how you want it, and organize it into a finished movie! Tomorrow, before I come home, myself and other members of my Digital Media lab section will be watching all of our final films together, and I can’t wait to see what story ideas other people came up with!
Speaking of movies, the Marquette Filmmakers’ Association (of which I am a member) recently had its end-of-semester showcase, where we watched all the movies that club members made this semester. My favorite was one where two characters race to obtain a prize advertised in an alert from the university–only to discover it’s not what they thought it was. I am still working on my own movie for the MFA, which is coming along nicely. I only have two other people working on the movie with me, but we’ve still gotten stuff done. We recently did a table read together to practice our lines. (I say “we” because I will also be acting in the movie.) One of the actors also contributed an idea for a makeup design for their character, which I thought was an interesting idea that would make the character (who is from another planet) look more alien. Still, I do have some concerns–foremost of which is the fact that we only have three actors, myself included, for a movie which includes four characters. I’m planning to ask for a fourth actor when we come back from Winter Break. Filming for the movie will also begin after we return from Winter Break, and I’m concerned about having people film in cold weather; I hadn’t planned for that when I wrote the script, but I’ll tell everyone to wear warm clothing, and we won’t be filming for more than an hour at a time, so people shouldn’t have to spend too long in the cold. It’s a good thing I’m part of a club of people who do this, because I can ask other members of the club for help and advice–which I might need as we move forward with the production!
Well, that’s my December–or at least, part of it. I’m looking forward to sharing more of it with everyone at Will’s Place! I’m hoping to pick up some shifts at Will’s Place while I’m home, which hopefully can be an opportunity for me to get to know some of the folks who have joined us since I left for Marquette. But I’m also excited to catch up with old friends, and hear about their holiday plans and how their lives have been. I remember how warmly I was received when I came to Will’s Place during Thanksgiving Break, which was a couple of weeks ago, and it felt really touching to be welcomed back that way. With 2025 winding down, Will’s Place is about to enter its third year of doing business, and I’m thrilled to be a part of that experience! Looking forward to talking to everyone back home in Skokie!
See you soon,
Reed Larson-Erf