Specialist Christopher Roessner

Winding and unpredictable are the two most appropriate words in describing Chris Roessner’s life path. Beginning as a self-proclaimed “inner city trouble maker,” the opportunities available to him were small and the expectations for his future were low. He was blessed, however, with a strong, loving and supportive mother who consistently instilled in him a sense of self-worth and reinforced the power of his own imagination. This would prove all that was needed. Post high school, Chris enlisted in the U.S. Army and served as a machine gunner in a Civil Affairs Battalion during the 2003 to 2004 invasion of Iraq.

Upon completing his service, Chris focused solely on his academics and public service, earning his Bachelor of Arts in poetry from the University of Southern California. Between his junior and senior year, Chris hiked to the Mt. Everest Base Camp and raised $2000 to build an orphanage in Nepal. He also co-founded “The Motor City March” organization, which bought and delivered a passenger van to an inner-city school in Detroit, Michigan.

Currently studying for a Master of Fine Arts in cinema production, also at USC, Chris is passionate about becoming a filmmaker and is dedicated to telling compelling and inspirational stories, both narrative and nonfiction. His path has been anything but predictable, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.