Finding Her Future Behind the Lens
As we countdown to Commencement, we're spotlighting Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵ’s outstanding 2024 graduates. Learn more about Percival Sibanda ’24, Tiago Frazao ’24, and .
Madison Durfee ’24 didn’t intend to come to Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵ.
That changed once she arrived on campus for a tour.
Durfee, a triplet, initially visited the College not for herself, but on behalf of her sister, Jordan (sister Danielle completes the fraternal trio). Durfee knew she wanted to pursue a degree in photography, a program she didn’t know was available at Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵ. However, the trip that started as a favor to her sister quickly altered Durfee’s own college trajectory.
“The tour guide described all of the majors and minors, which I thought sounded so cool,” she said. “And then they said they have a photography major. I was like, ‘Hold on. You what?’”
She continued: “I knew then that Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵ was my school. It’s the only school I applied to, actually.”
Durfee’s passion for photography was a natural evolution in a childhood shaped by the arts.
“I’ve been performing since I was eight years old,” said Durfee, who has been a performer, a singer, and an artist. “I fell in love with musical theater, and performed in as many shows as I could from elementary school through high school.”
She first picked up a camera in high school for a course on Photoshop.
She was hooked.
“Other people in my class were taking pictures of flowers, but I wanted to work with people,” Durfee said. “I made everyone in the class pose for pictures for me. It’s awesome, making people feel confident in who they are and getting to capture that.”
The curriculum of Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵ’s photography program is completed throughout a student’s four years at the College, which made it particularly attractive to Durfee.
“There are some schools where you complete the major requirements only during your junior and senior years,” she said. “If you end up not liking it, you only find out when you’ve already completed half of college.”
Hands-on photography experience in the classroom isn’t the only way Durfee has honed her craft while at Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵ. She’s also held work-study positions in the on-campus Photography Studio and Digital Print Lab.
“I started in the Digital Print Lab to learn more about printing photos,” explained Durfee. “Then I became the Photography Studio manager, where I am in charge of all of the equipment. We have drones and video and still photography equipment. We partner with professors to get them the equipment they need for their classes and help students and college organizations use the equipment. It’s really fun to teach people who have never touched a camera how to use one.”
She added: “I want to get my hands on whatever I can, to learn as much as I can.”
As a born performer, Durfee didn’t leave her theatrical talents behind once she arrived on campus. She’s also a member of the student-run Spotlight Drama Club—for which she has served as the marketing manager—as well as Mainstage Theater, which is run by Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵ faculty.
It was these experiences that inspired Durfee—along with some encouragement from Mark Towner, Dean of the School of Visual & Performing Arts—to pursue a theater minor along with her photography degree.
Durfee’s theater arts experience has provided a bonus: The opportunity to become the Mainstage Theater’s resident photographer, capturing rehearsals and performances.
“It’s been really special to combine the two things I love to do the most,” said Durfee.
During her sophomore and junior years, Durfee also served as a Resident Assistant for Marblehead and Myrt Harper Rose Halls—opportunities she considers to be part of the overall theme of her Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵ experience: “Try new things.”
After graduation, Durfee plans to pick up the camera again and build her professional portfolio as a wedding photographer.
But her ultimate career goal? To land on Broadway.
“I’m obsessed with Broadway, so I’d love to do photo shoots for Playbill and all of the shows,” she said. “It would be incredible to meet the people that I look up to as a performer and connect with them through photography.”
Reflecting on Durfee’s four years at Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵ, the breadth of opportunities the College has offered her stands out.
“I was scared to go out and do things my freshman year because it was the first time I wasn’t with my sisters,” Durfee said. “I wondered, ‘What am I supposed to do without them?’”
“But when I finally went out and tried new opportunities, I’ve had so many moments when I experienced things I never could have expected,” she continued. “The community around me has been so supportive and believes in me. I would tell my freshman self, ‘Don’t be scared. Just go out and do it. You don’t know what’s waiting for you.’”