The communications major with a theater minor and master’s in journalism alumnus, Justin Sintic ‘02, MS ‘04, always found himself dreaming big — and through lots of hard work and networking, earned himself spots.

“I learned that curiosity is a skill that constantly needs to be practiced,” he said. “I started becoming aware of the benefits of being a curious person at Quinnipiac. I came in as a communications major, dabbled in a lot of different areas: production and screenwriting, I explored film studies, theater and journalism. In between my junior and senior year. I went with Dr. Raymond Foery to Nice, France through a program the school offered to learn about French cinema. This was an eye-opening experience to me. Dr. Foery was so knowledgeable in film studies, and he showed me another culture for the first time.”

He said he always felt a tremendous amount of support from professors to stay curious and ask questions. 

“When I embark on the journey of playing a character, I have to ask myself a lot of questions and those questions lead to more discovery,” Sintic said. “Quinnipiac was instrumental in teaching me these skills and honing them in order to start me on the journey of becoming interested in storytelling.

As a communications graduate, he studied production, screenwriting, film and journalism. The skills he developed during his studies became the driving force that led him to his passion.

After completing his master's degree in journalism, Sintic moved straight to Los Angeles and was booked two different commercials — one for ESPN Magazine and the other for Tylenol. The momentum didn’t last, however, despite the rejection, he never gave up.

All that endurance led to a breakthrough: Sinitac landed a role on HBO’s “Euphoria.

“It’s truly the most incredible experience I’ve had to date in my life. I always dreamed of being a part of this show,” he said.

This wasn’t a quick and easy process. Sintic had five auditions throughout the first two seasons, then a couple more times during season three before finally landing his role of Fred.

Since landing the role, he has taken on some exciting projects, including directing his first film that he wrote.

“It would be an understatement to say that I’m really honored and proud to represent Quinnipiac,” he said. “My time in Hamden was very special and I’m really thankful I chose Quinnipiac. To this day, some of my best friends are those who I met on day one in The Commons. Also, professors like Dr. Crystal Brian and Dr. Raymond Foery, still have an impact on me 20-plus years later. I hope I can continue to gain more knowledge and experience and continue to give back to the university.”

He said he hopes current students find inspiration in the idea that joy is a driving force in life.

“To me, living a full life means that if you can experience joy and happiness, you also have to be able to experience some pain and suffering,” he said. “You won’t be able to know what joy feels like without being able to know what pain feels like. They work in harmony. Embrace the struggles, there are a lot of lessons in those experiences, and I believe they lead to joy.”