"It took me a couple of misses before I found the right college match," says David Toole, lead singer for the rock band Identity X. After transferring twice, David knew instantly that RMU would be home. "I felt right away that this was a place where anything was possible. Big enough that I could meet different people and try new things, but small enough that I wouldn’t get lost."
I guess you could say I had my own tour of colleges before coming to RMU.
He and fellow students Darin DiNapoli and Brad Grimm produced Identity X's debut music video for the song Archetype. Someone suggested entering the video in the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences College Television Awards, also known as the College Emmys. "We figured, great, nothing to lose," says David.
The video, in fact, proved to be a big winner, capturing the Emmy in its category and earning the three a whirlwind trip to Hollywood.
The opportunity has not been lost on David, a management major who quickly leveraged the award to book shows at the Hard Rock® Cafe and other venues.
He credits RMU with providing a climate whee students take creative chances: "This is a school were you can dream and do anything you set mind to."