Meet VALLEY’s Spring 2023 Campus Culture Section Opener: Nasir Pitts

When we say the sky is the limit, we are talking about Nasir Pitts. 

A third-year majoring in film and hailing from North Philly, Pitts wants to — no, is going to — do whatever he sets his mind to. Take it from us, watch this space. 

After having transitioned from a private high school to Penn State in the fall of 2021, Pitts is all too familiar with the perils that come with attending a predominantly white institution (PWI).  From not being heard in the classroom to entering a cycle of continued misrepresentation — both outside and within school walls — Pitts had every odd stacked against him at private school. And it’s the echoes of those very same barriers that Pitts feels as a Black man at Penn State, an institution that bears the long-lasting effects of oppression against minorities and other communities that challenge it as a PWI. But, while it may have been easier for Pitts to have allowed these barriers that prevented others in his community from moving beyond them, he chose to take the power back into his own hands. 

“So a guy put a bunch of flies in a jar, closed the lid for three days and then opened it up. And the flies had every opportunity to fly out of the jar, but they didn’t, because that’s what they knew. The guy set limitations for them, and in their head, they absorbed these limitations and set them for themselves so they can’t escape. So, I don’t want to set those limitations for myself by saying, ‘Just because I’m black I don’t have power,’” says Pitts. 

This mindset of freeing himself of societal limitations has carried Pitts throughout all aspects of his life. From his fashion to his dreams, there’s nothing Pitts isn’t willing to go after. It’s simply refreshing to see someone so young with such a lust for life and the many opportunities he wants to create for himself. And the fact that he’s doing so while trying to influence the community around him, including Penn State, is all the more impactful.

“When I have that power, I want to use it to let everyone know it’s okay to allow themselves to be free from universal stigmas that their group may face,”

says Pitts

Pitts always had dreams of producing music, starting a fashion line, directing films and even opening up his own restaurant. Yes, you heard us right. What can we say, the man loves to cook. But beyond the kitchen, Pitts is on the path to achieving everything he’s set out to do. On top of being involved in various short films around campus, he has also started his music career on SoundCloud as Staarchild. Don’t worry, though, he’s not your average SoundCloud rapper. 

He’s the people’s champion and a chameleon in every sense of the word. And one of his biggest inspirations in the industry does those very same things — Donald Glover. A chameleon himself, from “Atlanta” to “Because the Internet,” it’s not only the fact that Glover does everything that inspires Pitts — it’s the fact that he’s so good at everything he does. And Pitts carries that very inspiration throughout every aspect of his Penn State experience and beyond. 

As a part of Culture Central, a student-led film and broadcast club that analyzes sports and pop culture moments, Pitts is doing everything he can to follow in Glover’s footsteps while carving out his own path. “Right now I realize all the opportunities Penn State has. So I’m like, ‘Okay, let me utilize it,’” says Pitts. So, while he’s building up his resume and getting the experience he’s been yearning for, he’s also doing everything in his power to make the most out of his college experience. 

As for what brought him to Penn State in the first place, Pitts found that it was the malleability of the film industry that drew him to study and pursue it. “You can’t really put film into other things, but you could put other things into film,” says Pitts. Sounds like the perfect place for a chameleon like him. 

Say you like a movie and write a poem about it. But in film, you get the full effect. You can sit there and a film could change your life. And that’s what I want to do. I want to come up with an idea to change someone’s life. 

In the pursuit of changing the lives of others, Pitts is forging his own lane. From breaking from the path laid by his community to the very clothes he wears around campus, Pitts doesn’t take what others have to say too seriously, because he knows what he wants and he’s going after it. And he thinks you should do the same.  

When asked if there were any last words that he wanted VALLEY readers to hear, Pitts only had one thing in mind — his girlfriend. Be sure to give @e.m.artt a follow on Instagram and support a local artist. 

While we could write a book about him if we wanted to, from VALLEY, we wish our friend Nasir Pitts the best of luck in the pursuit of everything he wants and more.

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