Saint Louis U. High welcomes Ryan Doyle to the community as he works as the Digital Media Specialist, a new position that was created  to further with SLUH’s goal of having a stronger media presence.

Doyle grew up in St. Louis and attended another Jesuit high school in the area: De Smet. He graduated from there in 2011, and then attended University of Missouri in Columbia where he studied a variety of things.

“I double majored in English and Film,” said Doyle. “Creative writing was my emphasis for English, and then I studied literature as well. Film production was also my emphasis along with general film studies.”

Doyle never thought that he was going to be a teacher or work at a school, but after graduating a semester early in the fall of 2014, he began substituting at a Catholic school in Columbia called Father Tolton High School. He decided to enroll in a teacher training program, and then spent a year with the Alum Service Corps where he taught at Regis High School, in Colorado.

“I never knew that I was going to be a teacher,” said Doyle. “It just kind of fell into place.

Doyle returned to St. Louis in the Fall of 2016 to teach English at Villa Duchesne High School, where he spent four years.  He also tapped into his skills in film and media to help moderate Villa’s film and media club.

“Duchesne’s club was a lot more narrative film oriented,” said Doyle. “Each spring, we did a film production, which is sort of like a play. The students would come up with an idea and write a script. They would cast it, and then after school we would film it and edit it.”

Doyle was drawn to SLUH because of the Jesuit ideals that were introduced to him during his high school years and later reasserted into his life when he was a ASC.

“(De Smet) instilled me with that initial Jesuit identity. Much of my identity is tied to that (the Jesuit philosophy),” said Doyle. “Then, when at Regis, it further grew upon those beliefs from high school. I also appreciated the rigor at Jesuit institutions, where there are students who are driven to excel and grow in the things that they are interested in.”

Doyle's role at SLUH is multifaceted. He plans to be involved with the school’s administration, working with Director of Communication Ben DuMont and with SLUH’s admissions team. He will also be engaged with the student body doing media and film work.

“I work in the communications department, and so I have three main domains of responsibility,” said Doyle. “One is working on the SLUH website and doing stuff with social media, such as updating the pages or posting something on Facebook or Instagram. I am also going to be doing video production for the school and helping with advancement campaigns, which is largely for the admissions and advancement departments. SLUH student media is going to be my third responsibility.”

For Doyle, he is really excited about moderating SLUH’s student media club.

“There are a lot of things that I am really excited about, especially working with SLUH student media,” said Doyle. “I am really looking forward to working with them and to see what projects they are interested in and what they want to know and want to learn.”

Doyle hopes that he will be a strong mentor to his students in SLUH student media, helping them thrive and grow.  He also hopes to start another club focused on narrative film production, where he plans to have the students produce short films.

“In regards to SLUH student media, my goal is to really just be an advisor for the students and embrace the student-centric approach that the school is trying to promote,” said Doyle.  “I would also like to see if any students would like to be interested in starting a new club to make narrative films.”

Doyle is excited for the year ahead.

“I just am really grateful to be here at SLUH, and I’m really looking forward to continuing working with all the students, and faculty, and staff on a lot of creative projects,” said Doyle.