Recent SOU graduate’s capstone project is documentary on opiate addiction

NEWS RELEASE (video news release available at https://youtu.be/36GBjVPPOxM)
(Ashland, Ore.) — Kyle Simpson’s journey from enrollment to graduation has been a little longer and more difficult than those of most Southern Oregon University students. He spiraled into an opioid addiction during his first two years, left school and was arrested after returning home to Southern California.
Kyle has now been sober for three years and graduated from SOU in December with a bachelor’s degree in communication. His capstone project – a culminating, multi-term academic assignment – is a short documentary titled “Junk,” which shines a light on Southern Oregon’s opiate epidemic through the lens of a recovered addict.
The documentary was produced in cooperation with SOU’s Community of Recovery in Education (CORE) program, which supports and promotes the academic success, recovery and well-being of SOU students recovering from addiction.
“Junk” will screen on Tuesday, April 11, at Meese Auditorium in the SOU Center for the Visual Arts. The event will begin with a short reception at 6:30 p.m., and the film screening at 7 p.m. A panel discussion featuring five key members of the Rogue Valley’s recovery community will follow the documentary.
An SOU video news release features clips of Kyle describing his project. Media outlets may use all or edited portions of the news release in their news products. The video news release is also available upon request in mp4 format.
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