UNIVERSITY PARK, CENTRE COUNTY - Matt Poth signed up for English 497 after hearing about in passing in the Penn State Veterans Outreach Office. Little did he know, the class’s final project would help him bridge the gap between soldier and storyteller.

When does English class turn into documentary film class? When young veterans start to tell their stories.

“Here at Penn State, student veterans were returning to campus and just kind of blending in with the student population, which is great, but we didn't feel like we were getting the benefit of understanding what their experiences were,” Shirley Moody Turner, Penn State Assistant English Professor, said.

So Moody Turner and fellow instructor Nathan Tobey set out to find vets and let them interview a fellow veteran. Iraq War Veteran, and Penn State Sophomore, Matt Poth chose to interview himself.

“It was really challenging though, some of this stuff was pretty personal stuff I’ve never really talked about and then putting it on camera and putting it on the internet, it was overwhelming at times.”

Put that emotional toll on top of learning to work a camera, conduct an interview, and edit the final product. “We were asking a lot, i think we were really humbled by the student’s willingness to do something this challenging, it's a challenging thing to do,” Class Instructor Nathan Tobey said.

Initially, Poth did not like the assignment, but after seeing the reaction of folks who have watched his film he has changed his mind. “It's really helped me cope and deal with things. It's no longer a burden I have to carry myself, it’s out there and people can see it and people will hopefully understand me a little better.”

To see Matt’s, and other student videos, click here: http://wpsu.org/backfromiraq/