The 2025 Senior Capstone Projects

Each spring, the graduating seniors of the Western Kentucky University Visual Journalism & Photography program offer a final, unforgettable look at stories that captured their attention.  These deeply personal and socially conscious visual narratives span rural Kentucky, exploring themes of resilience, community, identity, and healing.

View their stories HERE.

From the moment Amanda Poteet-Woolen receives a call, day or night, she’s in motion. In “Mothering the Mother”, Emilee Arnold follows the life of this midwife in Hart County, Kentucky, as she juggles being a caretaker for both her patients and her own three daughters. The work goes beyond documenting birth—it paints a portrait of generational strength, maternal instinct, and the weight of responsibility in rural health care.

In “We Were Just Kids”, two young skateboarders, Dray Moppins and Lathan Terry, take center stage. Raised in social housing and shaped by unstable family circumstances, their shared love of skating becomes more than a pastime—it’s a lifeline. As they inch toward adulthood, the story reflects on how friendship, movement, and self-expression help these teens carve a future that looks nothing like their past.

“Even in the Darkest Places” dives deep—literally and emotionally—into the subterranean world of Tennessee caves. This beautiful piece follows Kelly Smallwood, who turned to caving after a cancer diagnosis left her searching for meaning. Through winding tunnels and lightless caverns, the story unearths themes of survival, serenity, and the unexpected spaces where we heal.

These are just a few of the stories that define this year\’s capstone class. Each one is a product of months of reporting, trust-building, and storytelling, crafted by students who are not just photographers, but documentarians of the human condition.

The 2025 seniors leave behind voices amplified, truths uncovered, and a legacy of work that shows what happens when empathy meets image-making.