Ever since freshman year, Jadyn Trujillo reached out to me and a few others to participate in Oneonta’s Into the Streets and from the very beginning, it wasn’t tied to any club requirement or grade. It was simply a genuine desire to give back and make a difference.

From 2022 to 2026, with a different group each year, we’ve kept that tradition alive, returning to the same cluster project every time. What started as something just between us has grown into something worth sharing, now it’s featured on the @FilmClubOneonta Instagram for everyone to see.

Jadyn was the President of the Oneonta Film Club through 2023-2025. Nevertheless, even after Jadyn stepped down from the e-board entirely, he re-reminded me and other Film Club members to participate once again in essentially the same project me and him took. No title, no obligation. That says everything.

The Project: This project was dedicated to Oneonta High School. principal Stevens, has a beautiful courtyard composed of square concrete slabs in the school the same area in which the high school seniors typically take prom photos. Over time, however, the gaps between the slabs had developed into tripping hazards for students who explored into the courtyard. essentially, we utilized pickaxes and shovels to break up the grass and dirt between those gaps and added quick lime to those areas of the courtyard. Every year, Principal Stevens would also invite students from the high school to participate in this effort as a part of their own volunteer service.

Our Traditions: Over time, a few traditions developed within the cleanup of the courtyard.

For starters, we always walked to the high school to complete the project. It was close to where we lived, good for the environment! Especially considering that the rain never was an excuse. Nevertheless, it poured on us from start to finish in 2025, forcing us to take a bus to avoid getting super soaked on the way home.

Secondly, T-Pain played in the background during volunteer. This began after OH Fest 2022 when T-Pain headlined the festival and put on one of the best performances of his career. When he re-returned to the school to volunteer, I happened to play some on Spotify and began playing T-Pain while we completed the project (hence the videos of each song played each year). From that point forward, T-Pain would play in the background each year while we filled in the cracks between the concrete slabs.

We also took a group picture of everyone who participated in the project each year.

Finally, Principal Stevens always ordered a pizza for everyone involved in the project. At 1 o’clock, when the project was ready for pickup, we would all sit down and enjoy our pizza. A straightforward reward, but one that always hit ideally each year after the effort.

Keeping the Legacy Alive Into the Streets has been one of the most meaningful things I’ve been part of throughout University experience. What Jadyn started out of pure goodwill grew into something with real roots a project with traditions, a community, and a story worth telling. I’ve heard that the Film Club e-board plans to carry it forward even after we graduate, and honestly, that’s the best possible ending. Each year was significant in its own way, and together they added up to something none of us will forget.

Order of photo chronological order Newest to Oldest (2026 to 2022)