CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Three years ago, UVA student Kamani Confident was a senior at Humanities Preparatory Academy, a public high school in New York City, navigating applying to college with the school’s volunteer college counselor, Bill Short.

Confident’s journey, as well as those of the six other seniors Short advised at the school in the 2023-24 academic year, was captured in the documentary “Admission Possible,” which was screened at UVA’s Culbreth Theatre on Saturday as part of the Virginia Film Festival.

Short and Confident both attended Saturday’s screening and participated in a discussion afterward with John Rojas, the Assistant Director of Hoos First, the university’s first-generation and limited-income student initiatives.

Short told the audience the film began through his connection with its executive producer, Cynthia Wade. With the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to strike down affirmative action still recent and the cost of education continuing to rise, Wade reached out to Short to pitch the idea for the film.

“We got back in touch, and she said, ‘You know, I kind of think this is a good time to tell a story,'” Short said. “‘And if we could follow a group of students, first-generation, that are probably most challenged by these changes.’ And that’s how we ended up with the film we have here.”

The film follows the students as they meet with Short to prepare their college applications and explore financial aid options. Outside of those meetings, the film also highlights the students’ families and unique backgrounds.

It captures a number of one-on-one meetings between Short and the students, and even includes the meeting in which Short first suggested UVA as an option for Confident. That scene, as well as another of him learning he had been accepted by UVA, was met with applause from the audience.

“UVA has been amazing,” Confident told the crowd during the discussion. “The community is perfect, and it’s more than what I thought it would be, actually, since I didn’t really have many expectations coming into it.”

Confident added that since arriving on Grounds, he has gained further community through his fraternity brothers, a group of whom sat in the front row of the screening, as well as his girlfriend, who was also in attendance along with members of his family who were in town for UVA’s Family Weekend.

When asked by Rojas what advice he would give to others navigating the college experience, Confident highlighted his loved ones’ support.

“I’m still learning day by day,” he said. “But something that I would say is to follow your passion and your heart and utilize the relationships that you have that are close to you. 
Because I think that those will bring you a really long way. People like Bill and my fraternity brothers, my family, my girlfriend and her family, it’s all support system, and those are the people who will help you take that next step and be confident in yourself.”

The film was introduced by Ravi Cooper, President and CEO of United Way of Greater Charlottesville. The local nonprofit helps individuals pursue education, advance their careers and achieve better financial security. It is also a sponsor of VFF, and Cooper said in her remarks that in its five years as a partner with the festival, the nonprofit has “been intentional about lifting up films that explore social justice, equality, and education.”

“What makes ‘Admission Possible’ so powerful is its reminder that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not,” Cooper added later in her remarks. “When communities come together, provide encouragement and resources, and meaningful pathways forward, they don’t just change one person’s future. We can change the trajectory of an entire family for generations.”