Many students know about the opportunities to study abroad with ACU, but few are aware of stateside opportunities offered through the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.

ACU is one of the 118 members of the CCCU. Four semester-long programs are offered in the United States: the L.A. Film Studies Center in Los Angeles, Calif., the Contemporary Music Center in Nashville, Tenn., the American Studies Program in Washington D.C. and the Washington Journalism Center, also located in Washington D.C.

Rachel Brown, Study Abroad coordinator, works with students who are interested in spending a semester in one of the programs.

“For people who are interested in these fields, these programs are really great opportunities to get an idea of what it would be like in that industry,” Brown said. “Some students have gone for the second semester of their senior year and decided to stay and live there.”

Lucius Patenaude, junior multimedia major from Phrae, Thailand, spent last fall at the L.A. Film Studies Center. His class list included Hollywood production workshop, faith and artistic development, an internship and one of three electives.

“The entire course was very project-based,” he said. “I had to have a screenplay completed by the end of a semester, they wanted us to have a short film that could be submitted into film festivals, I wrote essays and there was an expressive art project to summarize what we learned.”

Outside the classroom, Patenaude had the opportunity to intern at Bold Films, an independent production company that produced the movies “Drive” and “Legion.”

“The interns there read all the scripts that get submitted and then write what they call ‘script coverage,'” he said. “As I was learning how to screen write, I got to hone my eye to see what was really, really good and what wasn’t so good.”

The L.A. Film Studies Center welcomes a variety of students, even those disinterested in film.

“If you’re considering the entertainment industry, it is one of the best things you can do,” Patenaude said. “It was really good for me to learn how to work in a secular workplace, in a very secular environment, finding my own identity in Christ as a Christian. It was a very eye-opening experience.”

For more information about the L.A. Film Studies Center or other programs offered through CCCU, go to www.bestsemester.com.