What do you love about your major?

I love how my media literacy has developed. To decipher the constant flow of information from the screens that surround us gives me a sense of agency and liberty. My major has shown me the power of an image, how what is portrayed has such potency, creating opportunity and responsibility for filmmakers.

Where do you call “home” or your “hometown?” 

Seattle is my home right now, my hometown is Mission Viejo, CA. Mission Viejo is a suburban slice of Southern California. Moving to Seattle meant saying goodbye to constant sun and beach days but I love the rain, the Puget sound, and the life I have here in Seattle.

What do you study/what is your area of interest? And why did you choose this area? 

Whenever people asked me what I wanted to do for a job, I would say “IDK, I just know I want to 1. Work with people 2. Be creative 3. Travel.” I have kept an open mind for the possibilities of application for those three items…and I keep coming back to film. I love to create in many disciplines beyond filmmaking- but in filmmaking you can combine them all! Throw a sculpture you made on set. Score your own film. Write your biggest fears into a script…I love the thrill of sharing what I make. I love when other people can connect and contribute to it too. Although the CMS major is not production focused, it still has molded me into a better filmmaker

Do you have a faculty mentor? If so, whom? 

The saying “it takes a village” rings true…I have been in awe of so many of the professors & faculty in the CMS department. Warren Etheredge has been a mentor and a friend since my freshman year, now he is the Executive Producer for my directing debut! Mal Ahern has been influential in my ability to understand what media is. Mal has taught me how to ask the right questions and where they should be directed. What inspires me is the passion professors have for their subjects like Stephen Groening, Jen Bean, and Diana Ruiz. Nancy Sisko and Eric Ames have also played key roles in my development as a student and filmmaker.

What is one of the many humanities courses you recommend taking?

I recommend CMS 370 Basic Screenwriting with Warren Etheredge. It helped me figure out the type of stories I want to be telling and the people I want to be surrounded by.

What has been an unforgettable experience during your time at the UW thus far?

The cherry blossoms blooming in the quad…Mt. Rainier watching over campus…

What advice would you give a new student in the humanities?  

Try new things with an open mind. Talk to the people you are in class with and ask them questions you actually want to know the answer to. The Cinema Media Studies major is not just for filmmakers or about film, it is relevant to many disciplines. 

I love my major because of the PEOPLE. My freshmen year I did not feel like I had a place at UW yet. I was a part of organizations that did not beg me to be myself- which is what I was yearning for. I took my first CMS class my winter quarter of freshman year and for the first time at school, I began to feel like I could find my, find my place. The professors, the faculty, and my peers have created a community that makes me feel special. Goodbyes are the hardest when you are leaving something good, graduating from this major will be a hard goodbye.