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Student Spotlight
Amanda Harris, a UCSB Art major, uses painting to explore memory and healing. From childhood sketches to public art projects like Santa Barbara’s Painted Pianos on State Street, her work reflects a deep connection to nostalgia. As she prepares for a career in art therapy, she hopes to use creativity as a tool for healing and self-expression.
Shoshana Medved, a graduating student, has already begun refining her creative expertise in the professional world, gaining hands-on experience with top entertainment brands such as Beats by Dre and Paramount’s Pluto TV. In an interview, she shares insights into her internships and the lessons she’s learned.
Movies and media shape children’s understanding of culture and morality, but the “Disneyfication” of literature often raises questions about what is gained or lost in the process. Martina Mattei, a Comparative Literature Ph.D. student at UC Santa Barbara, examined Disney’s adaptations of Pinocchio and The Little Mermaid. She noted how Disney simplified the dark moral complexity of Pinocchio into a more uplifting tale and highlighted the backlash against Halle Bailey’s casting in the 2023 remake of The Little Mermaid, reflecting nostalgia for Disney’s earlier portrayal. Mattei argues that simplified adaptations can risk erasing the cultural richness of the originals, shaping how future generations understand these tales.
Kaitlyn Ugoretz, a UCSB Ph.D. candidate, delves into the evolving practice of Shinto outside Japan, highlighting how sacred spaces are created through rituals rather than geography. Her research explores how Shinto is flourishing in the U.S. among non-Japanese practitioners, driven by global influences like anime and inclusive spiritual values.
The four-person UCSB band Wahoo was formed last year in a dining hall and the members have since established themselves as rising stars by playing at The Rose Bowl’s Bruin Fest for Hispanic Heritage Month. Andrew Adorno (on guitar), Carlo Lapayese-Calderon (on Cajon), Matthew Diaz (lead vocals) and Abhi Sahota (on bass) aim to keep performing on larger stages. Andrew Adorno sat down for an interview to talk about Wahoo’s Rose Bowl performance, how UCSB fostered the creation of Wahoo, and his personal journey with music.
As part of his senior directing concentration, UCSB student Alex Guaydacan tackled his biggest project yet: solo directing “The Incident Report” for the Fall One Acts. In an interview, he reflects on the directing process, from navigating friendships with cast members to building confidence as a director. Guaydacan speaks about the process of bringing his vision to life for UCSB’s annual theater showcase.
Valeria Perez, host of Grrrls Who Rock!!! at UCSB’s radio station KCSB, sits down to discuss women and gender-expansive people in rock, finding your path in college, and radio show hosting.
Historian Evan Axel Andersson spoke on amulets and daily life in ancient Roman Egypt at the 2024 Van Gelderen Lecture, hosted by UC Santa Barbara’s History Department. Andersson discussed how these ancient artifacts did much more than adorn—serving as vital protective and spiritual tools.
Twenty students in the 2024 Raab Writing Fellowship program presented their final projects at a showcase last week, displaying multimedia works from books and zines to videos games and interactive websites — including research, fiction and creative nonfiction. Topics ranged from jazz, to AI to incarcerated women, and an Athenian prostitute. The program is generously funded by Santa Barbara writer Diana Raab, a former UCSB Foundation Trustee. It is administered by the UCSB Writing Program.
Thomas Heine, a fourth-year student in UC Santa Barbara’s Germanic and Slavic Studies department will be combining his knowledge of German language, culture, and business with his passion of aviation. He is working towards flying for Lufthansa, the largest airline in Europe.
This spring, UC Santa Barbara students co-facilitated the creation of Originalia, an art showcase featuring the painting, sculpture, and interactive artwork of 11 students interpreting their experiences with reproductive biology. UCSB students Emilie Risha and Anastasia Senavsky described how they came together to express their passion for reproductive biology in an interdisciplinary manner.
This spring, UCSB’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted a creativity contest to highlight the work of creative students across the UCSB campus. The following story won third place in the prose category.
This spring, UCSB’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted a creativity contest to highlight the work of students across the UCSB campus. The following story won second place in the prose category.
This spring, UCSB’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted a creativity contest to highlight the work of creative students across the UCSB campus. The following story won first place in the prose category.
This spring, UC Santa Barbara’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted an annual contest to highlight creative student voices across the campus. The following are the winning submissions in the Photography category.
This spring, UCSB’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted a creativity contest to highlight the work of creative students across the UCSB campus. Here are the first and second prize winners in the music category.
This spring, UC Santa Barbara’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted an annual contest to highlight creative student voices across the campus. The following are the winning submissions in the visual art category.
This spring, UCSB’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted a creativity contest to highlight the work of creative students across the UCSB campus. The following poem won third place in the poetry category.
This spring, UCSB’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted a creativity contest to highlight the work of creative students across the UCSB campus. Here is the second place in the poetry category.
This spring, UCSB’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted a creativity contest to highlight the work of creative students across the UCSB campus. This poem won first place in the poetry category.
