College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

CONGRATULATIONS to Cinematic Arts & Technology alumna Alba Roland Mejia!  Alba has recently been awarded a $35,000 grant from Netflix and the National Association of Latino Independent Producers to produce an original short, "Greetings from St. Helena," based in Napa Valley.  Mejia's exciting news was featured in The Californian on December 4, 2024.    

Special thanks to Cinematic Arts & Technology Professor Enid Ryce for sharing the exciting news.

The Monterey County Film Commission announced on Dec. 31, 2024 the top winner and honorary mention winner in the film commission’s 2024 Director Emeritus Richard Tyler Film Student Scholarship Award program.

Olivia Rovid, a California State University, Monterey Bay student in the Cinematic Arts and Technology Department, was selected for a $2,000 scholarship.  She plans to use the funds to produce a film called “Emmy’s Light,” about a girl’s struggles with a rare genetic disorder and her inner strength and resilience facing obstacles and carrying physical and emotional burdens. 

A $500 honorary award is going to Ashton Brigati, also a film student at California State University, Monterey Bay.

The Monterey County Film Commission’s scholarship program was created in 2008 to provide financial aid and incentive and financial aid to students of film enrolled in a college or university in Monterey County.  The fund was established as a permanent endowment with the Community Foundation for Monterey County.

CONGRATULATIONS Olivia and Ashton!

Congratulations to the Fall 2024 Debbie Juran Beyond Tomorrow Awardees!  Nine students will each receive an award up to $1,000, based on their submitted budget, towards their scholarly work.

The awards are made possible through a generous donation from CSUMB Foundation Board Member and CAHSS Dean's Advisory Council member Debbie Juran.   Read more here.

Congratulations, Otters!

CONGRATULATIONS to Cinematic Arts & Technology Visual Design students! Their images were featured in November of 2024 as the top three images on the NASA Juno Cam.

Professor Enid Ryce reports that the students are interpreting new data as it comes into the project after an orientation with the project leader.  This marks the third year on this project.  Check out the NASA Juno Cam here.

CONGRATULATIONS to HCOM student Oscar Jimenez who had two pieces air on NPA in October.  The first one connects the struggle of a farmer in a village in North Korea with a farmer in Salinas Valley. 

Applications are now being accepted through October 21 for the 2024 Debbie Juran Beyond Tomorrow Awards.  Are you in need of financial support to help with your academic goals, internships, research presentations, or job interviews? If so, please consider applying for our Debbie Juran “Beyond Tomorrow” Awards. You can apply for up to $1,000.  Read more here.

Congratulations to Cinematic Arts & Technology majors Jackson Sherry and Tara Ragsdale-Cronin! Their short film "Laddie" is a finalist in the Narrative category of the CSU Media Arts Festival (MAF).  The MAF Awards Presentation is scheduled for Wednesday, October 23, 2024, at Noon on Zoom.  To receive the link to the screening and awards presentation, please register with the CSU Media Arts Festival via google form.    

Congratulations, Jackson and Tara!

Congratulations to Global Studies 4th-year student Camille Herrera on being selected as the CSUMB Panetta Institute Congressional Intern!  Camille will spend the fall semester in Washington, D.C. While she doesn't yet know which congressional office she'll be assigned to, a Presidential election year in the nation's capital should make for an exciting time. Each year, the Panetta Institute selects one student from each CSU campus for the program.  Enjoy the full article featured on the CSUMB Dashboard.

Congratulations, Camille!

Congratulations y Felicidades to two Spanish Language & Hispanic Culture alumni attending The Ohio State University’s Summer Seminars Abroad for Spanish Teachers (SSAST) this summer! Kassandra Rizo ‘22, and Gabriela Murillo Cerna ‘22 will spend July in Panama City analyzing and practicing the Spanish language in a natural linguistic and cultural context.

More information at https://u.osu.edu/ssast/

Congratulations to the 2024-2025 Sally Casanova Scholars!  Five CSUMB undergraduate students (three from CAHSS) were selected for this prestigious and highly coveted CSU Scholarship focused on research and doctoral studies. 

• Laura Flores, Psychology; Faculty Mentor, Dr. Jill Yamashita
• Saba Shah, Human Development and Family Science; Faculty Mentor, Dr. Rob Weisskirch
• Sam Ulloa, Psychology; Faculty Mentor, Dr. Renee Penalver
• Yeritzi Victoria, Psychology and Spanish Language & Hispanic Culture; Faculty Mentor, Dr. Renee Penalver
• Alyssa Walter, Marine Science; Faculty Mentor, Dr. Sal Jorgensen

Each will receive $5,000 to support their pre-doctoral activities.  For more information on this scholarship, visit the CSU Pre-Doctoral Program, Sally Casanova Scholarship page.

Congratulations to Psychology major Efrain Ramirez, Marine Science major Annie Hansen, and Mathematics major Oscar Murillo-Espinoza on being named 2024 Goldwater Scholars!  Founded in 1986, the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation is considered one of the most prestigious national scholarship programs for undergraduate students.  Each awardee will receive up to $7,500 per year to help pay for college expenses.  For more information on our honorees, please visit the posted article by Mark Muckenfuss.  For more information on this scholarship program, visit https://goldwaterscholarship.gov.

Congratulations to Cinematic Arts & Technology alum and now Emmy-Award Winning Foley Editor Annie Taylor!  Annie received the Emmy for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (half-hour) and Animation-2023 for their work as a Foley Editor on The Bear (FX/Hulu).  The 2023 Television Academy Emmys was broadcast on January 15.  

Congratulations to Cinematic Arts & Technology alum Evan Norbom!  Evan was the lead designer for audio and video systems and project manager for upgrading the legendary Grauman's Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles.  The Egyptian held the first red carpet premiere in 1922.  As a historical building, the project held unique challenges to solve.  Read about Evan's experience on the project in the January 17, 2024, CSUMB article by Mark Muckenfuss.  Incredible work, Evan!

Congratulations to Cinematic Arts & Technology major Jasmyn Ramirez, winner of the $2,000 scholarship in the 2023 Monterey County Film Commission (MCFC) Director Emeritus Richard Tyler Film Student Scholarship Award Program!  Congratulations are also in order for CART major Spencer Garcia, who was awarded $750 as runner-up!   The scholarships will be used to help fund the students' capstone films. 

The MCFC scholarship program was created in 2008 to provide financial aid and incentive to students of film and beginning filmmakers in Monterey County. For more information, visit the Monterey County Film Commission online.

Congratulations to Jasmyn and Spencer, we can't wait to see your capstone films in May.

Congratulations to Melanie Mena who was selected to receive this year's CSU Trustees Award for Outstanding Achievement for superior academic and personal achievement.  Melanie is a Visual and Public Art major and Psychology minor.  The scholarship award is the highest student distinction within the CSU system.    Read more in the article by Walter Ryce from University Communications.

Cinematic Arts & Technology alum ('23) Cristian Vega's capstone film, "¿Que es un Nino?/What is a Boy" has been nominated for a Student Academy Award in the alternative/experimental category.  The 5 1/2-minute piece was filmed over three days on the CSUMB campus, in dorm rooms, the Otter Sports Center, and nearby Fort Ord, and is described by Vega as "a surrealist experimental narrative about gender identity."  Read the full article by Mark Muckenfuss.  

The Student Academy Awards (www.oscars.org/saa) is an international student film competition, established in 1972.  Each year, college and university film students from all over the world compete for awards and grants.  Past Student Academy Award winners include Pete Docter, Robert Zemeckis, Patricia Riggen, Patricia Cardoso and Spike Lee.  

Congratulations, Cristian!