Joseph DuFrain: Father, husband, student, photographer

BY LINDSEY HUGHES / Multimedia Journalist

Joseph DuFrain is a Tarleton State University student who is majoring in digital media studies and minoring in communications. He leads a life that is in some ways very similar to other upcoming graduates. DuFrain goes to classes, turns in assignments, commutes to school several times a week and works hard to further his career. However, these parts of his life are where many of the similarities end.
 

Unlike most “traditional” college students, DuFrain is not only a full-time student, but also a full-time husband and father. Having a family while also juggling school and building a career for himself, is not an easy task. 
 

“You have to make a lot of sacrifices…you really have to figure out what the most important things are,” DuFrain said. 
 

DuFrain, his wife Megan and eight-month old baby Lincoln live in Weatherford, where he commutes back and forth to school. He has been married for three years and has been a full-time student during the entirety of that time. Balancing college life with a newborn and a family comes with a unique set of challenges, long commutes, career setbacks, social stigma and time management are just some of the ones he has been faced with. Despite all of the trials and difficulties he has faced, DuFrain says that he would sacrifice everything for his wife and son.
 

“They are the most important  people in my life, they are going to be the most important people in my life for the rest of my life,” DuFrain said, “My family is the most important thing… it’s something that I put both feet into.”
 

For many students’ college is a fun time, a time for freedom, a time for studying by day and partying by night, a time where many “real-life” responsibilities seem like a lifetime away. For DuFrain, these responsibilities are oh so present and have altered his college experience immensely. 
 

Instead of going to parties at night, he goes home to take care of his wife and child. Instead of relaxing on his weekends, he works to further his career while also being a present parent and spending time with Lincoln. Instead of sleeping in, he wakes up between 4:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. every day to get everything done that is needed of him. These differences in his college experience, however, have only made him a stronger, more dedicated person. 
 

“I have had to be sharper with my time, be really deliberate with every minute of the day…my job right now is to be a dad, and then to be a student,” DuFrain said, “It’s definitely challenging to now have another person that you are taking responsibility for, before it was just taking care of myself. My wife and I balanced the responsibility of taking care of each other… now we think about him first, and then everything else.”
 

Outside of his family, DuFrain has also had to learn how to manage his time efficiently to be the best student he can be, especially when having so many responsibilities outside of school.
 

“My first semester at Tarleton I was in a math class, and I approached it the same way I had always approached school… I did all of the fun stuff first and then focused on the stuff that I needed to do. The final grades came in and I failed that class,” Dufrain said, “That was a big wake up call, I don’t think a lot of students realize that they need to actually learn.”
 

Approaching school with a more mature attitude has allowed DuFrain to not only succeed in his classes but has also led him to be able to more effectively further his career. His interest in photography started when he was young and spiraled into something that he knew he wanted to make a career out of. 
 

His love for taking photos led him to his internship with Tarleton Athletics, which he has been actively a part of for over two years. He chose to pursue the creative path, focusing on photography, videography, graphic design and other creative aspects of sports communication. 
 

From his internship with Tarleton athletics, he was offered a job at Weatherford College, where he hopes to work his way up the professional ladder. He wants to eventually be a creative director for sports communications.
 

“Ultimately I do want to be either a director of social media and content creation or an executive content creator in creative media for the Rangers, Dallas Cowboys or a major university,” 

DuFrain said, “Definitely somewhere that has a solid fall sports program that includes football, rodeo and gymnastics.”
 

His senior capstone is one of many projects that he has worked on that accurately showcases his talent and eye for photography. He took several models and worked with light and shadow to produce beautiful black and white portraits. 
 

Two of the models he worked with during his capstone project were  Emilia Perez and Avi Morsbach. 
 

Perez is a Tarleton sophomore criminal justice major. This was her first time working with DuFrain, as well as her first time ever modeling. Modeling for a photographer’s specific vision is not always an easy task, but Perez says that with Dufrain behind the lens, it wasn’t difficult at all.
 

“He was super easy to work with. He created an environment where I felt like I could express myself and be comfortable,” Perez said, “He made me feel like I was also a part of it… modeling for photography is not in my comfort zone, but he really inspired me to push myself and try something different.”
 

Morsbach was another model  that DuFrain used for his capstone. She too had not known him before working as a model for him, but has now done several photoshoots with him. She says that the atmosphere he creates while working makes it easy for his subjects to succeed.
 

“He is an extremely creative photographer and knows how to adjust to what works best for the model…If i could describe him in three words, it would be creative, professional and dedicated. It is evident through working with Joseph and from his work that he is passionate about what he does.” Morsbach said.
 

Setting goals for himself and then working hard to follow through on those goals has gotten DuFrain to where he is today. He has spent the majority of his college career striving to gather the skills that will one day get him to exactly where he has fought so hard to be. Creating healthy and productive habits for himself has allowed him to accomplish many of his goals already.
 

“You are capable of doing everything you set your mind to…I’m proof of that, I put my mind to having a job lined up after I graduated, and I’m starting my job the week before I graduate,” DuFrain said.
 

He also expressed how important  his support system was for his success in every aspect of life, family, school and career. Having strong support around you is essential for any college student, however it’s even more so when you aren’t just looking after yourself, but also a family.
 

“Your support system is so  important. You have to have someone there to lean on when those days are hard. For me it’s my wife… my family is that for me,” Dufrain said.
 

Life is stressful, college is stressful, all career paths at some points are stressful and juggling all of it while also dedicating yourself to being the best husband and father possible, amplifies those stressors tenfold. At the end of the day however, the harder the journey, the more rewarding the destination. DuFrain is proof that dedication, passion, love and above all faith, can take you all the way to the end.
 

“If anybody is in a current situation where they are trying to balance all the stresses in life, even if you’re not religious, have a foundation of faith… that foundation is what I go back to every single time. I didn’t always go back on my faith, but the Heavenly Father really is in the details,” DuFrain said. 
 

His family is DuFrains’ biggest support and biggest blessing. Outside of his faith, his family is what he turned to throughout even the most difficult parts of his college career.
 

“I could not be more grateful for Megan, and for her family taking me in as a part of their family, and for my family back in Missouri. Its hard for them to see me living so far away from them, but they’re supporting me regardless.” DuFrain said.
 

He hopes that his journey will inspire others to know that no matter how difficult the road is, anything is possible, and he hopes that his son and future children will learn from him that there is a greater purpose for even the worst days. 
 

“That’s what I hope my kids can learn from me, there are going to be some days where they just kick you in the teeth, you are going to be down on your knees, and you are going to say ‘why is this happening to me’, and its to build you up and to make you stronger,” DuFrain said.
 

Throughout all of the highs and lows of his college life, DuFrain persevered and even excelled. While his college experience didn’t always look “normal”, it was uniquely his, and uniquely amazing. After graduation he will be moving into a new phase of life, a phase that is filled with many of the things he has hoped and prayed for.