How do we persevere through challenges to accomplish our goals? It’s a question many athletes contemplate as they compete in their respective sport. For College of DuPage (COD) student and athlete Samuel Sanchez, he actively pushes himself to improve his ability, regardless of the conditions, as he competes in cross-country and track and field. Despite experiencing numerous defeats, disappointments and shortcomings in his athletic career, Sanchez continues to fight with determination.

But interestingly, Sanchez also fights to compete in another field very unlike what he’s faced in any sport: entering the hypercompetitive film industry.

Sanchez has always considered himself to be a creative person. At a young age, he’d express his fascinations in storytelling through expanding upon the narratives of preexisting characters he admired. From stories of superheroes like Iron Man and Spider-Man clashing with villains, or the different alien forms Ben 10 can transform into, Sanchez was not afraid to let his imagination run wild.

Sanchez’s interest in film started in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Forced to stay home, he began binge-watching different types of movies to kill time, even revisiting classics from his childhood.

“Some movies I thought I liked as a kid,” Sanchez reflected. “I don’t like [them] anymore. I had some better ideas [on] how to make this story better. So then I told myself, ‘Hey, I could pursue this. I want to be a filmmaker.’”

Unfortunately, a little over a year later, DuPage County would be met with a tragedy that affected the lives of many, including the Sanchez family.

In addition to managing the COVID-19 pandemic, DuPage County was struck by a devastating tornado on the night of June 20, 2021. In a time where millions of Americans stayed inside for their safety, the tornado destroyed the homes of many living in DuPage County, including that of the Sanchez’s.

“Unfortunately, me and my family had to relocate to a different house. And in that house, it had a huge TV, a surround sound speaker, which was absolutely amazing. So with nothing to do, I just rented a whole bunch of movies from my local library,” Sanchez recalled.

Among those movies was Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather.” Widely regarded as one of the greatest American films ever made, Sanchez became enchanted and inspired by the film and Coppola’s talents as a filmmaker.

“For the first time I watched it, I was in awe of what Coppola did,” Sanchez recounted. “It was so surreal. I was captivated with every second of it–and I still am to this very day–but that first watch is something I will never get back again. And that’s what led me down this path to watch more and more. To deepen my love for film.”

Sanchez is particularly moved by the way cinema offers different perspectives on life. He believes that in these times of social division in the United States, film can offer perspectives of others that seem different to us but present struggles we can all relate to. Although not diving into full detail, Sanchez mentioned he isn’t afraid of embracing more difficult, adult themes in film, and encourages people to do so as well.

“My personal dream in life is just to get my name out there in the world. To make films for all across the stage…I wanted to make stories that may be pressing and troubling, but stories that everyone needs to hear and hopefully some will love,” Sanchez stated.

Wanting to get a start in creating his own films, Sanchez became determined to submit his work to a student film festival. The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Drama competition featured a category in which participating schools could submit a short film created by students. During his junior year of high school in 2022, Sanchez attempted to enter the competition with a bold vision he had. He didn’t describe much regarding the content of his short, only that it would be rejected. He would try again a year later during his senior year, but was also rejected then.

“My senior year, I was really upset by the rejection because I created a script for this contest,” Sanchez said. “I actually invited a couple of my friends to star in it, but I was rejected…I assume because my script was a bit too mature for the contest.”

Rather than allowing himself to be beaten down by his failures, Sanchez instead used those rejections as fuel for motivation to become a filmmaker. If there was any takeaway to be had from his experiences competing in cross country and track, it was to continue persevering.

“When I joined cross country on my high school team…I was very slow, one of the slowest runners on the team. But simply just getting better week after week, dropping times, just getting a bit faster, picking up a lot less minutes drew my attention,” Sanchez commented. “How we put our goals to ourselves and see how we achieve them, no matter the condition, no matter the weather, no matter the course, we don’t choose our outcome of life. We just have to fight through it.”

Currently working toward an Associate’s Degree in Film Production at COD, Sanchez continues to create and dedicate himself to his film studies despite previous challenges. I’d initially met Sanchez in the “Intro to Motion Pictures & TV” class, where we worked together on an absurdist short film; another project he’d submitted to a festival, but was rejected. Despite the constant stream of dismissals, Sanchez is determined to use it to build back better.

“I use the rejection to take a second to look back…and so I can maybe turn it into something different,” he admitted. “I can try to find something new so another environment that can accept me.”

Although, despite his ambition and determination, Sanchez has admitted he feels somewhat uncertain about his identity. Having interests in his dedication to cross country/track and field while also wanting to pursue film production, Sanchez is still figuring out which direction he wants to go with his career. But he doesn’t let his uncertainties stop him from living his life.

“We all have to live through uncertainties,” stated Sanchez. “I think it’s okay for people to be uncertain with where they are in life. Everyone deals with it every day. We use it as a way to put our foot forward, take our first step, and to see how we react–or how the world influences us.

“In the end, that’s kind of why we are destined to create art,” he continued. “It’s simply just life experiences. Whether how we experience love, how we experience turmoil with society and as well as how we experience joy in the world.”

As a closing remark, Sanchez shared with me, “If you have a dream, passion, goal for something, go for it. Life is all about rejections, denials, and shut-offs. Learn from them, and use it to become a motivating factor in the future.”