Seniors are finishing up final art projects before graduation from May 16 to May 18 at Angels Stadium in Anaheim.
There is a diverse number of art majors set to attend commencement. These projects include scripts, paintings, designs and more.
Karla Maldonado and Alejandra Diaz, film majors with a focus on screenwriting theory and production, are two students from the Film and Electronics Art program that will be walking at commencement next month.
“I just finished my future film script and also wrote a comedy pilot as well,” Diaz said. “We worked on our film scripts for about two years. My film is like a psychological thriller crime drama and it is about a murder mystery set, different type dimension stuff.”
While Diaz took a psychological approach to the film, Maldonado struck a realistic approach towards their final project and applied personal experiences into their work.
“I am close to finishing it and that is about my cancer journey because I had cancer when I was 16,” Maldonado said. “I wanted to represent cancer in a way that is accurate and not romanticizing it. It is not something fictional, but based on true events.”
When asked how they felt about graduating and plans afterwards, both Diaz and Maldonado agreed that more freedom in their work is the most exciting part of life after graduation. They shared that they will both enjoy no longer following limited prompts, they believe their creativity and imagination in writing will become unlimited and set at their own pace.
“I will be free of constraints and also no more pressure of deadlines and the ‘I am going to be graded on this’ type thing,” Diaz said.
Fashion design major with a minor in fashion merchandising, Ysabel Hilado is another student in the arts finalizing designs for an upcoming senior project.
“Currently, I am working on my collection for the Campus Couture fashion show on May 6,” she said. “I have been in college for six years now and I am so excited. I feel ready to move forward with my career.”
Photo credit: Ysabel Hilado
With over 42,000 followers on Instagram, Hilado does not plan to slow down anytime soon. She plans to take her career to the next level after commencement with plans to showcase her designs and continue making content creations on her social media.
“I am going to continue working on my brand, Hilado,” she said. “I will be moving towards getting some of my core designs manufactured in Los Angeles and start selling them within the next year or two. With that, I will also continue to share my designs online and build my social media presence because I am passionate about content creation. Overall, I will be making a name for myself in this industry and I love taking people along the journey.”
As many seniors prepare to begin their new chapter, some are still in somewhat of a disbelief that they are graduating. Jasper Sumano Velasco, majoring in illustration with a focus on animation, felt neutral about commencement.
“It has not really hit me that my time at the university is coming to an end,” Velasco said. “For the most part, this will be the last time I will be in school.”
Like the others, Velasco is working on final projects for his classes.
“Currently, I am working in the visual development of a short film that revolves around a parent and child starting to reconnect through cooking,” he said.
After graduation, Velasco hopes to apply for apprenticeships after working off some of his loans.
After years of dedication and hard work, senior art students prepare themselves for their lives after graduation and finalize their future plans.