Indie Lens Pop-Up: Try Harder!

Credit: Black Ticket Films

At Lowell High School, San Francisco’s academic pressure cooker, the kids are stressed out. 

WXXI presents Try Harder!, an Indie Lens Pop-Up presentation, followed by a panel discussion on Monday, April 25th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at The Little Theatre. See Little Theatre COVID safety guidelines for more information

San Francisco’s Lowell High, one of the best public schools in the country, draws high achievers—nearly 70% Asian Americans—from across the city into a fiercely competitive universe. The camera follows seniors through the hallways and into classrooms as the pressure intensifies to impress admissions officers at elite universities with their report cards, test scores, and overall awesomeness. The students proudly own their identity as nerds and tell their stories with candor and humor despite the stress. The film asks: How do these kids define their identities outside of acceptance letters?

A panel discussion will follow the screening and includes Christina Heyon Lee, Coordinator for Global Education and adjunct professor of anthropology at Monroe Community College, and three students. 

Christina immigrated to Rochester with her parents and sister from Seoul, South Korea as a child. After earning degrees in cultural anthropology from SUNY Buffalo and University of Colorado, Boulder, she worked as an applied anthropologist and qualitative researcher in corporate, non-profit, and educational institutions. She is the Coordinator for Global Education and adjunct professor of anthropology at Monroe Community College.  She sits on several community boards, including the WXXI Community Advisory Board, and is currently enrolled in a graduate program at the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester.  

Preview Trailer: 

Panelists TBA!

About Indie Lens Pop-Up
Indie Lens Pop-Up is a neighborhood series that brings people together for film screenings and community-driven conversations. Featuring documentaries seen on the PBS series Independent Lens, Indie Lens Pop-Up draws local residents, leaders, and organizations to discuss what matters most, from newsworthy topics to family and relationships. Make friends, share stories, and join the conversation.