Fun, lively, and creative, Cole Edwards is a style icon, film connoisseur, and, to me, the most exciting part of my Fourth Form Algebra II class. Now, I know what you’re thinking: unlikely friendship. All thanks to Ms. Beaudoin's Algebra II class and her “random” partner pairing, I’ve had the pleasure of truly getting to know Cole Edwards, AKA “Funky Cole.” Around campus, I had often heard people endearingly referring to Edwards as “Funky Cole.” When I asked Edwards about the nickname, he explained to me that it was his Snapchat username during Third Form, and somehow, it stuck. However, the nickname “Funky Cole” not only represents the spirited and lighthearted Edwards that we know today but was also a source of inspiration for Edwards’s recent passion project: “The 4th Consciousness.”
Since the beginning of the Spring Term, it has been rare to see Edwards without his vintage camcorder in hand, recording and savoring every moment of his last term on campus. Edwards says that the name for “The 4th Consciousness” was deeply inspired by “Indian spirituality, because it believes in three levels of consciousness.” The mystery of the fourth level, he argues, inspired the name for the Instagram account where he posts compilations of the videos that he records twice a week. When I asked Edwards about his video-making process, he noted that he first picks out the music and then nonchalantly added, “Videos just kind of flow, I get into it, and they come as they do.”
“The 4th Consciousness” has taken St. Paul’s by storm this term, and it has students constantly looking forward to the next video published. When asked what he hopes to accomplish by making his videos, Edwards said, “It’s good to see people happy, and when the camera is on, people are smiling and happy. I like to share all that peace that people are putting out there.” The fun-loving nature of Edwards’s videos serves as a testament to his ability to find joy and happiness in every moment and he reminds each one of us to soak up our little moments in Millville.