Dante Plummer ’22, Alumnus

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Dante Plummer ’22, Alumnus

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For many college-going students, what to do with the rest of their lives after high school is often a daunting decision. There is an expanding list of options, and many paths of study to choose from. The decision does not come easy to most, and being undecided is much more common today than it was only a generation ago. This was the case for Dante Plummer ’22.

“I was indecisive straight out of high school about what I wanted to study, though I knew it was something related to video game design. I opted to go to work for a few months while exploring schools and programs, some out of state. But, once I learned that Bloomfield College offered a game design and interactive media design major so close to home, where I would not have to adapt to a new setting or have the added cost of room and board, my decision was finally clear and I was able to start classes in the next spring term,” said Plummer.

Plummer’s parents had both earned college degrees, and they encouraged Plummer to attend college. “My parents believed that a college degree, no matter the major, guaranteed a good living wage,” he said. “Bloomfield provided scholarships, including the Bob and Linda Senior Annual Scholarship and the Dean’s Scholarship, among several others, that covered anywhere from 50-75 percent of my attendance every semester.”

As a commuting student living at home, Plummer’s expenses were manageable with the support of his scholarships and a few semesters of work-study as a lab assistant in the Creative Arts and Technology building. “I would enforce the rules of the labs, and also communicate any issues that arose with the equipment in the lab. For my major, working as a lab assistant was ideal in that I basically had access whenever I needed it for completing my own projects,” said Plummer.

“A truly impactful thing that happened during my studies at Bloomfield was when I figured out that I was good at composing music. Game design is so broad, and I was still learning all the parts I could become involved in for a career. I received very positive feedback on the music I composed for various class projects, and this compelled me to add a minor in music technology to my studies,” he said. “I’ll always remember the first day of my music composition and production class when Professor Delgado asked each student what we were interested in. He then researched resources to help each of us to learn more about what we were passionate about so we could improve our craft. That was really special.”

Plummer has very fond memories of several Bloomfield faculty, all of whom he said were very kind and expressed great caring for their students. “The faculty wanted us to be successful, so they pushed us to become better. They encouraged us to contribute something meaningful in society. They cared about our mental health and our growth,” he said. “Professor Gandy is another faculty from whom I learned so much valuable information. He was strict in a good way. We learned from his work ethic and standards, and gained an appreciation for the reality of the music industry and what to expect in a studio setting. Bloomfield truly provided what we needed to establish ourselves in our creative fields.”

Recently, Plummer contributed to the opening of the College’s Stories of Newark project – a collaboration of a broad range of faculty, staff, students and alumni – involved in capturing oral histories that document past and current struggles for racial equality in Newark. He composed the music for the introduction of each episode of the four-episode podcast covering this community project that was aired by WBGO Public Radio.

“I currently plan to pursue composing video game music as a career, or music for visual media in general. If I can’t get there immediately, I just graduated with a great education in audio engineering so that may be my first route until I make my way,” said Plummer. “Down the road, I may pursue a master’s degree in music composition or sound design. I have a good grasp right now, but I know I can be better. Bloomfield College gave me an excellent foundation for entering both of these fields, and continuing to further my education will further challenge me to help ensure I remain really good at what I do.”

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