TRELS Scholar (Spring 2020)
CRASSH Presenter (Winter 2020: Black Art & Performance)
My TRELS research revolved around an audience's reaction to filmed content. I was able to explore whether or not the effect of watching something "created" made a difference in how people reacted to what they were seeing and hearing. I also considered the cultural associations they made when viewing the short film. I wrote, shot, and edited the film and circulated a post-screening survey to young people between the ages of 18-22.
I decided to get involved in undergraduate research when I realized that research isn't confined to science fields. As a storyteller, it is important to me to be immersed in the creative landscape of writers and filmmakers that came before me and those who create for the future. I always assumed this was not my personal responsibility meaning something I would keep lower on my priority list. Then I realized the importance of creative research in producing informed, charged, well thought out, and situated content that genuinely moves my audience and inspires their thoughts and actions deserves to be higher up on my priority list. I began to consume media in more active ways to be applied to my own work, but also serve to help others in the work that I do generate.
In the future, I hope to be a multimedia content creator or director of content, running my own production company. To contend with existing companies, it is important for me to create art that adds value to the world throughout my time at UC San Diego, I've been learning how beneficial my active research and passionate involvement with art and culture is right now.
Are you interested in undergraduate research and/or scholarship opportunities like this one? Contact UR to learn more.