When SPU pre-med student Chris Yang got his hands on his first Canon Rebel T3i in high school, he says, “a whole new world opened up.” At SPU, Yang didn’t see room in his class schedule for photography courses. So he talked to editors of The Falcon and began capturing art gallery openings, plays, and speakers behind a podium.

“In order to get the best picture of someone, you always have to build a connection,” he says. His photo of civil rights advocate John Perkins speaking on campus won a Society of Professional Journalists award. Although Yang plans to be a doctor, not a professional photographer, he says the connection he’s learned to make with his subjects will make him a better physician one day.