What inspired you to want to study the cinematic arts?

Movies have always been a big part of my life. It's where I spent time with my family, how I was able to make new friends, and what expanded my view of the world while being able to see bits that reflected my world right back. 

What scholarship award did you receive directly from SCA?

I received the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation Endowed Student Support Fund for Diversity Award.

What has been the impact of receiving a scholarship from SCA?

First of all, my younger cousin who is obsessed with Star Wars thinks I am now the coolest person for getting a scholarship from the George Lucas Family. But more important than the love of my younger cousin— this award has allowed me to exclusively focus on my education and film projects outside of the classroom in a way that I have never been able to. Having less stress about paying for an upcoming semester has let me be more focused on searching for internships with larger companies that have little to no pay but are amazing opportunities that lead to huge growth and insight into this business. 

What activities or student organizations are you involved in outside of the classroom?

Most of my work this semester has been focusing on making a lot of things outside of the classroom. Following the wise words of Ira Glass, I've been writing and editing passion projects with classmates and friends outside of SCA to try and close that taste gap!

What has been your favorite class or project at SCA thus far?

This semester we got to take CMPP 568: Producing for Television. In this course we got to learn the basics of pitching both unscripted and scripted series. The professors not only made the courses packed with amazing advice and information, but they also created environments that felt comparable to what real pitches would feel like. I am still so proud of the shows that my classmates and I pitched. Getting to be in a class where the inspiration to be the best you can be is fueled by the energy and support of the professors and peers is a true gift!

What is a meaningful experience you've had while at SCA?

Although being on Zoom has been hard, our business professor went above and beyond this semester to make an information heavy course the most entertaining and exciting. Our last week of class happened to be the same week as his birthday, so we decided to surprise him! My peers sent me pictures and screen shots of inside jokes that we had built up with our professor and I made a big photo collage that we could all set as our background on Zoom. When class started, we kept our cameras off and when he could sense something was up, all 22 of us turned our cameras on to reveal our collage and sung him happy birthday. It was a great moment where we got to show our gratitude to a professor who made a difficult situation feel like an asset. It is a moment I will never forget.

What are your career goals after graduation?

After graduation, I hope to be able to work for some production and distribution companies that I admire, continue producing films, but with more resources and connections, and eventually start my own production/distribution company with fellow Starkies!

What advice do you have for prospective students looking to apply to SCA?

There are many things that you can learn without SCA, but the true gift that this education offers is time and relationships. The time to think about nothing else but what inspires you and how to make something start to finish. The relationships that you will build with people you might not have ever met which will last you for the rest of your career to support and dream alongside you. These two things alone are the real asset and worth the price of admission.