Gone to Texas Winner Uses Technology to Send Message [Watch]

By Julia Bunch in Blog on August 30, 2013 at 4:48 pm | No Comments

Who would have guessed that watching texting, coding, Googling, and Facebooking could be a riveting experience? Zeyi Lin, the winner of this year’s Gone to Texas Video Contest, took mundane modern tasks and used them as a clever narrative device. The 48-second video entry won the top prize in the fifth year of the contest, in which incoming students find a creative way to share their stories. Lin’s goal was to convey the message that technology has empowered him to be and do better.

“I’ve always been enamored by how technology has changed our lives, both for better and for worse,” Lin, a Plan II and electrical engineering major, says. “I generally disagree with the naysayers and tend to support the better side of that spectrum. With my video, I wanted to convey my sense of wonder for the versatility and utility of technology as well as encourage people to do the same.”

Hugo Rojo, public relations junior and director of Texas Tower PR, was one of six judges for this year’s contest. Judges were given private, online links and asked to vote for their top five finalists.

“He really incorporated something that’s popular in society and elements of UT,” Rojo says. “He did a great job marrying UT with an Apple-themed commercial.”

The video features shots of the Littlefield Fountain, the Drag, and the Tower, and it ends with the tagline: “Let’s embrace technology, one bit at a time.”

When asked what he planned to do with his prize, a Dell Inspiron Laptop, Lin said he was giving it to his mom for her birthday. “I think it’s a great way to show my gratitude for her past 18 years of dealing with me.”

Tags: gone to texas, Hugo Rojo, Zeyi Lin