Essential Piece of the Puzzle
Audio Visual Specialist David Barfield joined ASI without a clue of what it would entail—but has since emerged with a fulfilling experience.
“My introduction was completely blind!” joked Barfield. “But in a pretty short amount of time, I found that I liked the mission of the organization, my coworkers, students and the overall environment of higher Ed.”
Barfield found ASI after traveling from his home on the East Coast to Southern California. He was originally hired as a part-time audio visual specialist in November 2011 but has since become full-time, working to offer audio and visual services for student and community events, movies, panel discussions and other programs on campus.
Barfield supervises student building managers in services like sound amplification and visual presentation for campus events. He also trains them in other audio visual skills and customer relations.
“I appreciate that ASI exists to help students in an extracurricular way—which is a big part of going to college,” said Barfield. “There are a lot of different skills in the workforce that students simply don’t get in school, and the building managers that work for us pick these kinds of skills up.”
Barfield can also regularly be found in the theater department, as he is currently pursuing a master’s of fine arts in lighting design to continue his professional development.
“It’s been really good for me,” he said. “It’s broadening my horizons not just with my career, but also with my interests in the audio visual field. There’s a ton of applications for what I like in theater these days.”
Barfield esteems the mission of ASI as one that serves students and values his work. He believes the mission gives him fulfillment in his work, especially as he is part of a team effort in carrying it out.
“I really enjoy everybody I work with,” said Barfield. “They’re all good people, they listen well and they keep their eyes focused on what’s important.”
David was voted “Essential Piece of the Puzzle” in March by his full-time peers in ASI at their monthly employee assembly.
