Help Autumn Receive Film School Degree

Hello, my name is Autumn Rose Billie. I am an Indigenous woman from Acoma Pueblo, Taos Pueblo, and the Navajo Nation (Eastern agency). In 2018, I graduated with my Associate of Arts in Film from the Santa Fe Community College. I was excited to be enrolled and transfer to Arizona State University to pursue my B.A. at their film school in Tempe, Arizona. Being an Indigenous woman who grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I was ecstatic to be on my own to achieve my educational goal while still having a sense of familiarity and belonging in the southwest landscape of Arizona.

However, the drastic challenges and changes from the year 2020 led me to drop out of my classes and I didn’t commit to completing.  I did not graduate that year. The week before the mass announcement of the COVID-19 outbreak, my grandfather Frank M. Shutiva from Acoma Pueblo had passed away. My grandfather who helped raise me and my two older siblings, was a Korean War veteran and was 89 years old. I was grateful to know he lived a full life with his big family. This shifted my energy and I found myself moving from Arizona back to New Mexico – to be safe with family and mourn our loss. I attempted to continue classes online but didn’t fulfill my commitment.

 Today, I have an academic hold due to unpaid tuition and bills at Arizona State University. With your support, I can eliminate the hold. I need to pay back this tuition billing amount so that I can enroll in my classes and complete my major requirements.  That way I can complete my final semester and graduate with my B.A. in Film & Media Production.

I am very much involved in work related to my film production degree. Supportive colleagues and professionals have contracted me in the following roles on independent productions: Producer, Assistant Director, Videographer, Grip, Editor, and Sound Operator. I have been able to fulfill these responsibilities on smaller productions because of the education I received at Arizona State University.

As I aspire to slowly flourish and have my educational goal completed, I work part-time in food service jobs (i.e., barista, charcuterie catering assistant). My main source of income is from minimum wages that cover my monthly bills. If you have the means, please support my Fundly. You can even support me just by clicking the share button, tah-ah thank you.