Sophomores Colin Cabalka and Adeboye “Boye” Fajinmi just won a trip to Jamaica. If that doesn’t suit them, the Biola cinema and media arts majors can choose to head to Acapulco, Cancun, or the Bahamas for their spring break, and do it without spending a dime. That’s because their “Why Biola Rocks” video won the grand prize in a U.S. News & World Report video contest, “Why My School Rocks!” on Nov. 3.

“I think we want to go to Jamaica,” said Cabalka shortly after receiving word of the video’s victory. “We are really stoked about it.”

The contest, created by U.S. News & World Report, had students make videos on “why their school rocks.” Cabalka and Fajinmi’s film was one of the top 10 films from the 45 entries.

In the past week and a half, Biola’s video was judged alongside those from Texas Tech, Jamestown College, and Pearson College, among others. But from the first day the videos were posted, it seemed clear Biola would win the big prize.

“It was amazing to see the views just add up,” said Cabalka, surprised when the video received 1,000 hits on the first day.

Cabalka was quick to say how the video would never have had the success it did without the students who helped its creation. “David Maemone’s score really brought the film together,” he said. “When we heard the song, we knew we had something … Winning the contest was not just me and Boye, it was a Biola effort.”

A large part of the video’s success is credited to Biola marketing, which backed the video contest with a $500 prize for the best overall Biola film. A link to the video was sent from marketing to all alumni shortly after the contest was posted. Much of the videos early hits are due to this publicity.

“It was really good to have the support of Biola’s marketing department,” Cabalka said.
“Without their help, this would never have happened.”

Cabalka admits he and Fajinmi are really surprised by their video’s success. “We never thought we’d actually win,” he said. He credits the quality to the lack of expectations they took into its making.

“It’s great to see where our passions can take us,” said Cabalka. “It’s satisfying to work hard and just be happy with your product.”

Cabalka also mentioned how many opportunities exist online to win contests like this. “There are tons of these things out there,” he said. One of the best known, the Insomniac Film Festival put on by Apple, which Biola placed in last year, is running this years contest starting this weekend. More than 10 student groups from Biola plan to enter the contest.

Cabalka encourages students to get involved in any way they can. “It really is worth it when you do it.” Easy to say when, come March, you’re on your way to Jamaica for a week long expenses paid spring break vacation.

But according to Cabalka, Biola can take just as much pride in winning the contest as he and Fajinmi do.

“The assignment was to take your own perspective on your campus, and tell why it rocks, and I think we did that,” said Cabalka. “But it really matters what school you go to. You can only make a video about why your school rocks if it actually rocks.”