2008 Woodie Awards
Sophomore finds fame in documentary TV show
Claire Rustad
Issue date: 4/29/08 Section: Features
Like any 14 year old, Lauren Gershon anticipated her transition into high school. She knew this was where adult life would begin. Students often experience evolving personal relationships while searching to find an identity in a high school setting.
Now imagine being followed by a camera, tracking the array of daily experiences, whether memorable or lamentable, that catalog the high school experience - all four years of it.
This was precisely the case for DU sophomore Lauren Gershon as she embarked upon her freshman year of high school in 2002. Sharon Liese, a friend of the Gershon family, approached Lauren during eighth grade and asked her to audition for a role in a documentary that would chronicle the candid opinions, personal beliefs and lifestyle choices of 12 freshman girls in high school. Ultimately, after graduation, the documentary would be compiled into a television series now airing on the WE network "High School Confidential."
Gershon, now an active member of DU's a cappella group, the Idiosingcrasies, said that her four-year stint on camera has impacted her in ways she is still discovering.
In one of her earliest interviews for the documentary, Gershon described herself as a dedicated student, one who really enjoyed "getting good grades." Additionally, she had a passion for dancing and was extremely excited that she had "tried out for [her school's] Drill Squad, and made the team."
Although she knew that every word she spoke could eventually be broadcast on national television, Gershon said the cameras had no significant effect on how she lived her life. "[My life wasn't] happening because the cameras were there; the cameras were there because [my life was] happening."
And happening it was.
Shortly into filming, Gershon was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The camera followed her visits to the doctor, from MRI scans to blood tests, as well as her personal terror, reflected in sleepless nights and a life suddenly filled with hesitation and second-guessing.
Now imagine being followed by a camera, tracking the array of daily experiences, whether memorable or lamentable, that catalog the high school experience - all four years of it.
This was precisely the case for DU sophomore Lauren Gershon as she embarked upon her freshman year of high school in 2002. Sharon Liese, a friend of the Gershon family, approached Lauren during eighth grade and asked her to audition for a role in a documentary that would chronicle the candid opinions, personal beliefs and lifestyle choices of 12 freshman girls in high school. Ultimately, after graduation, the documentary would be compiled into a television series now airing on the WE network "High School Confidential."
Gershon, now an active member of DU's a cappella group, the Idiosingcrasies, said that her four-year stint on camera has impacted her in ways she is still discovering.
In one of her earliest interviews for the documentary, Gershon described herself as a dedicated student, one who really enjoyed "getting good grades." Additionally, she had a passion for dancing and was extremely excited that she had "tried out for [her school's] Drill Squad, and made the team."
Although she knew that every word she spoke could eventually be broadcast on national television, Gershon said the cameras had no significant effect on how she lived her life. "[My life wasn't] happening because the cameras were there; the cameras were there because [my life was] happening."
And happening it was.
Shortly into filming, Gershon was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The camera followed her visits to the doctor, from MRI scans to blood tests, as well as her personal terror, reflected in sleepless nights and a life suddenly filled with hesitation and second-guessing.
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