{"id":2425,"date":"2025-11-19T14:34:19","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T21:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/?p=2425"},"modified":"2025-11-22T15:21:40","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T22:21:40","slug":"imagine-becoming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/2025\/imagine-becoming\/","title":{"rendered":"Imagine Becoming * You\u2019re Never Too Young To Be Thinking About Your Career"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2426\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.poster.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"124\" height=\"183\" \/> The film takes young audiences on an inspiring journey to discover their future career paths, offering a relevant and innovative way to engage and prepare youth for their future.<\/p>\n<p>KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Eli C. comments, \u201cI like <em>Imagine Becoming <\/em>because of the acting of Jeanelle St. Fleur and Kennedy Swartz \u2013 their portrayal of emotions is spot on. As I am around Chloe\u2019s age, I understand how easy it is to get caught up with your phone, and I may have even made her mistake once or twice.\u201d Ruhi K. adds, \u201c<em>Imagine Becoming<\/em> is a reminder to pursue your passions. Having options and the means to experiment with them is a blessing that many don\u2019t have, and learning truly can be an enjoyable experience once you discover something that makes you want to dive in and grow.\u201d Julie S. wraps it up with, \u201cThe indie short film<em>, Imagine Becoming<\/em>, has a lot going for it in terms of generating conversations among kids and parents about their career aspirations and getting kids to think about what they might like to pursue in their adult lives.\u201d See their full reviews below.<\/p>\n<p>Imagine Becoming<br \/>\nBy Eli C., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 10<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"KIDS FIRST! Critic Eli C. Reviews the Inspiring Short Film, Imagine Becoming\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TILGf63iAb0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2430 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.c-300x261.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.c-300x261.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.c-1024x889.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.c-768x667.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.c.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/>I like <em>Imagine Becoming <\/em>because of the acting of Jeanelle St. Fleur and Kennedy Swartz \u2013 their portrayal of emotions is spot on. Plus, I like that the film looks like one big livestream.<\/p>\n<p>This short film is about a young girl named Chloe (Jeanelle St. Fleur), who is obsessed with her phone and can&#8217;t get enough of it. One day, her best friend Maya (Kennedy Swartz), with the help of her mom (Eleanor Swartz) and Chloe\u2019s mom (Joiel Woods), gets her off of her phone long enough for Chloe to realize that there are other things in life than social media.<\/p>\n<p>The acting by Jeanelle St. Fleur and Kennedy Swartz\u2019 stands out. I\u2019ve seen live streams on Instagram before and the cinematography looks a lot like some that I\u2019ve seen. What\u2019s interesting is that this film is not really about being on social media too much. As I am around Chloe\u2019s age, I understand how easy it is to get caught up with your phone, and I may have even made her mistake once or twice.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2428\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.e-300x214.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"243\" height=\"173\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.e-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.e-1024x731.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.e-768x549.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.e.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 243px) 100vw, 243px\" \/>Kudos to Andre Butler Jr. and Ben Lee Foster as the music makers; the music is catchy and well done. Hats off to Nicole Butler for writing this lovely story, the character development makes the film even more understandable, and so do the backstories of the mannequins. It is easy to see that real work was put into the characters. I also congratulate Tanisha Butt for casting the actors and actresses. The cast really caught me off guard. When I started watching this film, I thought that there would just be a normal cast, but I was definitely wrong. This cast really stands out. My favorite part is when Chloe finds out what she wants to be because I am a sucker for happy endings, and the ending of this story is nothing but that, so it made me very happy.<\/p>\n<p>The film\u2019s message is: don\u2019t get so distracted with your phone that you miss what is important \u2013 family, friendship, and education.<\/p>\n<p>I give <em>Imagine Becoming <\/em>5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 12. It is available to watch digitally now.<\/p>\n<p>Imagine Becoming<br \/>\nBy Ruhi K., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 16<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ruhi K. reviews Imagine Becoming: From Phone Distraction to Career Aspirations\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xwlh47Ex2ic?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2432 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.a-300x214.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"248\" height=\"177\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.a-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.a-1024x731.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.a-768x549.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.a.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 248px) 100vw, 248px\" \/><\/em><em>Imagine Becoming <\/em>is a charming film that illustrates the range of possibilities available to children. It aims to introduce young people to career exploration and help navigate the future they will soon step into. However, the film lacks clarity, which caused me to lose sight of its vision.<\/p>\n<p><em>Imagine Becoming <\/em>follows Chloe (Jeanelle St. Fleur), a young girl who has gotten into trouble by spending class time on her phone. Chloe\u2019s mother (Joiel Woods) is concerned about her daughter\u2019s disinterest in the world outside her phone, including her education. In an attempt to restore Chloe\u2019s zest for real life, her mother and her best friend Maya (Kennedy Swartz) take her to visit a \u2018career display\u2019 at the local museum, meant to be a microcosm of the workforce, where she is encouraged to explore the opportunities available to her.<\/p>\n<p><em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2431\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.b-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"251\" height=\"188\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.b-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.b-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.b-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.b.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 251px) 100vw, 251px\" \/>Imagine Becoming <\/em>is crafted for what many perceive as today\u2019s \u201ctypical tween\u201d\u2014social media-obsessed, dismissive of school, more interested in superficiality than substance. All this results in an overly shallow character and that lack of authenticity prevented me from fully resonating with Chloe. Additionally, the filmmaker is projecting two different messages and, while they are both valuable, trying to convey them in a short amount of time decreases the effectiveness of both. The first half of the film is spent discouraging cell phone usage. Chloe\u2019s teacher (Grace Helmus) calls home concerned about her phone usage; the girls\u2019 mother expresses her dissatisfaction, and even her BFF Maya implores her to look up from her screen, describing the harsh consequences of \u201caddiction.\u201d The second half is a pivot to an interactive tour of career possibilities for Chloe, which has no connection to her phone usage and leads to a contradiction in the story. Earlier in the film, Chloe\u2019s aspirations of becoming an influencer are rejected by her friends and family, with Maya stating that \u201ca hobby isn\u2019t a career.\u201d But the majority of the professions presented at the museum \u2013 actor, dancer, director, fashion designer \u2013 are all within the creative sphere, and it could be argued that they are less attainable than social media recognition. The film also takes a pretty critical stance on influencers and athletes for a piece meant to promote curiosity. The casting is pretty ethnically conscious, which I appreciate. Another positive aspect of <em>Imagine Becoming <\/em>is its success in inspiring youth. The depictions of the adults at the museum as children with big dreams prompt viewers to envision a future based on their current interests.<\/p>\n<p><em>Imagine Becoming <\/em>is a reminder to pursue your passions. Having options and the means to experiment with them is a blessing that many don\u2019t have, and learning truly can be an enjoyable experience once you discover something that makes you want to dive in and grow. It\u2019s a wide, complex world, and you never know what\u2019s out there until you step outside and see for yourself, so dream in every color of the rainbow.<\/p>\n<p>I give <em>Imagine Becoming <\/em>3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 12. It is currently available to stream on YouTube.<\/p>\n<p>Imagine Becoming<br \/>\nBy Julie S., KIDS FIRST!<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"&quot;Imagine Becoming&quot; Movie Trailer\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-IVHapxJI68?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-2427 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.f-300x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"251\" height=\"140\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.f-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.f-1024x571.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.f-768x428.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.f.jpg 1155w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 251px) 100vw, 251px\" \/>The indie short film<em>, Imagine Becoming<\/em>, has a lot going for it in terms of generating conversations among kids and parents about their career aspirations and getting kids to think about what they might like to pursue in their adult lives.<\/p>\n<p>The storyline follows a young girl, Chloe (Jeanelle St. Fleur), who gets in trouble at school for spending too much time on her phone and putting her phone before doing her class assignment. Her teacher notifies Chloe\u2019s mom (Joiel Woods) who resonates with the issue and calls her best friend for some advice and inspiration. They make a plan for Chloe to accompany daughter, Maya (Kennedy Swartz), to a career exhibit at the local museum where the two of them have an opportunity to look at careers in a clever interactive way.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2429\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.d-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"249\" height=\"187\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.d-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.d-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.d-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/imaginebecoming.d.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 249px) 100vw, 249px\" \/>The film addresses a serious issue with youth today &#8211; obsession with their phones and parents not knowing what to do about it. I love seeing the moms talk with each other and offering solutions to the problem. Taking the girls to the museum for the career exhibit is a brilliant solution as it gets the girls to think about something other than their phones. The actors are well cast. Both Janelle St. Fleur and Kennedy Swartz are adorable; they speak well, play their parts well and I love their outfits. The moms also are well cast and perform their roles very believably.\u00a0 I think many moms will resonate with them. At the museum, I like seeing the different adult professionals interact with the girls and discuss their careers and how they got there. They talk with an actor, a singer, a director, a dancer, a journalist, a chef, a fashion designer, the latter of which Chloe resonates with most. She announces afterwards that she\u2019s going to become a fashion designer.<\/p>\n<p>The production is pretty good; the video is clear, as is the audio and the editing is great. However, at times the camera work is very shaky, such as when Chloe and Maya are sitting on the bed together and then again at the museum. The lighting also falls short at times and the black and white videos have vertical black lines moving across the screen and some subtitles are misspelled. I love the exit music that plays under the credits and the outtakes afterwards are very cute.<\/p>\n<p>The film\u2019s message is to spend less time on your phone and think about your future career and what you might be doing now, even as a child, to prepare yourself for what is to come.<\/p>\n<p>I give <em>Imagine Becoming<\/em> 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 12. It can be found now on YouTube.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The film takes young audiences on an inspiring journey to discover their future career paths, offering a relevant and innovative way to engage and prepare youth for their future.<br \/>\nKIDS FIRST! Film Critic Eli C. comments, \u201cI like Imagine Becoming because of the acting of Jeanelle St. Fleur and Kennedy Swartz \u2013 their portrayal of emotions is spot on. As I am around Chloe\u2019s age, I understand how easy it is to get caught up with your phone, and I may have even made her mistake once or twice.\u201d Ruhi K. adds, \u201cImagine Becoming is a reminder to pursue your passions. Having options and the means to experiment with them is a blessing that many don\u2019t have, and learning truly can be an enjoyable experience once you discover something that makes you want to dive in and grow.\u201d Julie S. wraps it up with, \u201cThe indie short film, Imagine Becoming, has a lot going for it in terms of generating conversations among kids and parents about their career aspirations and getting kids to think about what they might like to pursue in their adult lives.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[278,2720,2718,2719,2733,2734,2716,2723,2728,2721,2726,2722,2732,2240,220,2717,2730,2724,2725,2250,2731,2729,2727],"class_list":["post-2425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-film-critics-blog","tag-by-kids-for-kids","tag-career","tag-career-advice","tag-career-advice-for-young-people","tag-career-guidance","tag-career-path","tag-cell-phone-adiction","tag-how-to-choose-a-career","tag-how-to-figure-out-what-you-want-to-do-with-your-life","tag-how-to-find-a-job-you-love","tag-how-to-find-the-right-career","tag-job-advice","tag-life-advice","tag-mental-health","tag-movie-reviews","tag-phone-addiction","tag-purpose","tag-self-improvement-motivation","tag-self-improvement-tips","tag-social-media","tag-straightforward-advice","tag-what-should-i-do-with-my-life","tag-winners-losers"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2425"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2425\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2442,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2425\/revisions\/2442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/juror\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}