Alumnus Keith Walters ‘11 (pictured above) explained how his passion for photography carried through from high school to his college years, leading him to acquire a job at Geneseo (courtesy of Keith Walters ‘11).
Since graduating from Geneseo in 2011, alumnus Keith Walters has made quite a life for himself. He married his college sweetheart and the two of them have since welcomed their first child together.
Walters currently serves as the Director of Multimedia at Geneseo and described the importance of his position on campus.
“The director of multimedia oversees all production for photography and videography at the college,” Walters said. “This includes the production, editing, archiving and distribution of photos and videos.”
The Geneseo alumnus first began his photography journey in high school where he was inspired by a famous photographer; this inspiration shaped the direction of his career.
“I was inspired in high school to pick up a camera by Ansel Adams—the famous landscape photographer that helped establish a case [for] the National Park system in the early to mid 20th century through his photography,” Walters said. “He was one of the first photographers to change public perception of photography as primarily a documentation tool to something more in line with an artistic medium.”
Walters continued to pursue his passion for photography throughout college. He eventually landed a job at Geneseo after graduating, where he has stayed ever since.
“I went to school here, and as a senior I landed a position as a student photographer in what is now the communications and marketing office. I would go around to campus events and photograph everything that the office needed for their suite of materials—which at the time was way more print than anything else,” Walters said. “After I graduated, there was a brief opening where the office needed a full-time photographer for about nine months. I was lucky enough to be offered the job, and I started with the title ‘Campus Photographer.’ After [six and a half] years, that evolved into making more videos and multimedia pieces, which is when my title eventually changed to what it is now.”
Aside from his artistic inspiration, Walters and his wife recently had their first child, Rowen, who has changed their lives. They often encounter both rewards and challenges as new parents.
“My wife [Joanna Walters ‘13] and I met here at Geneseo when we were students and we had a baby last year,” Walters said. “It changes everything—your world suddenly revolves around this amazing little girl and you need to really start budgeting your time because you find that suddenly there’s a lot less available.”
As an alumnus, Walters knows how stressful the college course load can be and encourages students to focus on what really matters: friends, family, well-being and self-care.
Walters feels proud to serve the Geneseo campus as he feels it is now his time to give back to a community that gave him so many incredible opportunities.
“I always think back to my graduation where we sang the college alma mater. The last line of the song goes, ‘with our life’s work we’ll repay,’” Walters said. “The line can mean many things to many people, but for me it’s giving back to the place that has given me so much.”