Six SBVC film students accepted to UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Riverside and other leading universities in the state

It’s a big year for San Bernardino Valley College’s Film, Television, and Media (FTVM) Department as six of its students are slated to graduate from the program on May 25th.

With acceptances from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), University of California, Riverside (UCR), and even California State University, Los Angeles – it’s evident that the multi-million dollar state-of-the-art equipment invested into the program is paying off and providing San Bernardino students a route to Hollywood.

“I moved from Texarkana, TX to San Bernardino in 2017 and SBVC’s FTVM program surpassed my expectations. I never imagined during my time there that I would have the opportunity to shoot on 35mm film. This type of skill is usually only available at the university or graduate level, yet the program has already offered this type of curriculum in order to prepare me to work with film in the industry,” said UCLA-bound student Odin Contreras. 

Some of the program’s state-of-the-art equipment includes cameras like the Arri Amira, Black Magic Pocket 6K Pro, Sony FS7, Sony A7iii, and a 4K television studio inside KVCR, which is located on the SBVC campus in San Bernardino. 

Alina Alvarez, who has accepted admission to UC Berkeley, says she strongly believes that the FTVM program’s hands-on training is what boosted the confidence in her skills, and ultimately gained her the coveted acceptance letter to a UC.

“As a first generation college student and Latina, I felt very proud being accepted to Berkeley. Not only have the professors of the program prepared me for the next step in my college career, my community has a well, by instilling motivation in me while I continue to pursue my passion of film,” said Alvarez. 

Other students graduating from the program during the 2021/2022 academic school year include Nancy Aljouni (UCLA), Jazmyne Barrios (UCR), Frank Urbina (CSULA), and Juancarlos Cruz (CSUSB).

As this highly talented crop of student’s time comes to an end at SBVC, they are forever dedicated to their craft and rooted in the City of San Bernardino. 

“My time at SBVC helped me mature and accept failure as a learning tool to better myself. Being the president of the SBVC Dreamers Club enhanced UCLA’s recognition of my ambition to be a leader. Providing a safe space for Dreamers at SBVC was the best gift I could give back to my community. With the help of my great film professors Lucas Cuny and Kevin Lyons, they taught me the necessary skills to be a great director at the same time helping me challenge my art,” concluded Contreras.

For more information, visit www.valleycollege.edu/ftvm.