Born and raised in the San Francisco, Mission District, Andrea is a founding member of Loco Bloco Drum and Dance Ensemble, a multi-generational performing arts group that focuses on musical, dance and theater traditions of the Americas. Rodriguez’s studies at UCLA have concentrated largely on African, Caribbean, and Post-Modern Dance with an interest in video, choreography, and arts education. In 2006, she will be the first in her family to graduate from a university, earning her BA in World Arts and Cultures. Along with AB Scholars Yamaguchi, Jackson, and Verdoodt, Rodriguez will participate in a WAC study abroad program to Senegal to study dance this summer. In the fall Andrea will begin working towards her MFA at the University of Southern California in the School of Film and Television’s Division of Interactive Media.
Audrey Ma is currently a graduating Design | Media Arts senior at UCLA. Her design experience includes internships in the advertising sector of fashion company Guess Inc. and as a Graphic Artist at Pasadena Art Center College of Design’s Design Lab. Along with her roommate, Erin Jacobs, she currently teaches two sophomore classes at Jordan High School.
Chisa Yamaguchi is a senior in World Arts and Cultures and Asian American Studies at UCLA and is in hot pursuit of that special something. Yamaguchi is an accomplished dancer and choreographer specializing in post modern dance, and Pan Asian dance forms. She has worked with Mrs. Bouchard’s third grade class, some of the brightest, most gifted dancers she has ever had the privilege of working with. Yamaguchi hopes to become an arts educator because she believes that art and dancing will save the world. Yamaguchi’s motto is: If you fall, pick up something before you stand up.
Cynthia reflects on her life in the following manner: “Born and raised in Los Angeles, I reaped the benefits of private schooling, which is how I got my hands on basically every artistic medium I could find. Now I go to UCLA’s School of Arts and Architecture where I try to promote equity in the arts by instilling in others something that became so essential to my whole being. I am a vegetarian and have the cutest half-Labrador, half-golden retriever in the world.”
Originally from Northern California, Huang loves the Southern California sun. She is currently an Art History student graduating in June. Huang is an avid arts advocate who believes art is an essential part of society and the epitome of self expression. Her interests include black and white photography, painting, eating, cooking, and traveling.
I am inquisitive and passionate. I am an artist, an environmentalist, a friend, daughter, teacher and student. I enjoy physical activities, especially outdoors. Ultimately, I know I would rather work harder, cry and laugh more, experiencing life both physically and mentally, than just go through a computer simulation of it. I am 23 years old and about to graduate from UCLA with a double major in Art and Environmental Studies. My future plans include enjoying the present. This could be in the field of teaching (because I believe in it), research/policy change, and/or art and design.
I consider myself to be a very hard and dedicated worker. It wasn’t until college that I realized that dedicating my time and talent has the potential to make a real difference in the lives of many. I am a double major and Design Media Arts and Anthropology and hope to take my skills and experiences and be a driving force for change in the coming years. There is nothing more important that enriching the lives of the youth and making them understand how important each and every one of them are. I see my future in community planning and arts education — wherever I can make the most impact.
“Coming from Mexico to the United States was a very hard step for my family and me to overcome. I had no idea what awaited me on the other side, but one thing that I knew was that this new world was going to change our way of living.” Written in my freshman year at UCLA this thought has become not only a memory of the struggles to come to the United States but most importantly strength to see my dreams transform into realities. ArtsBridge has allowed me to make one of my dreams a reality, which is to teach and help our children. For this great opportunity I have decided to continue school and apply to a Teacher’s Credential Program at California State University, Long Beach.
Jennifer is a graduate student in the Architecture Department studying “Cultural Visualization” or the digital reconstruction of archaeological sites. She has a B.F.A. in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design, and has spent several years working as an archaeological illustrator. She has traveled to Iceland, Turkey and Israel to draw artifacts from various historical periods, including early Bronze Age Mesopotamia, the Roman Empire among others. She is planning to pursue a Ph.D. in Archaeology after completing her M.A degree.
Ms. Jackson is from the San Francisco Bay Area. In June, 2006, Jackson is graduating from UCLA with a B.A. from the Department of World Arts and Cultures. Jolieba is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher. Her background includes, hip-hop, capoeira, samba, salsa, West African & modern dance. She is creative, enthusiastic, hard working and driven! This summer Jackson will have the opportunity to travel to Senegal to study dance and music.
Lin described herself in the following way, “I am creative, fearless, hippy-bohemian, idealistic, revolutionary, independent, bouncy, ecstatic, alive. I am an adventurer, photographer, activist, artist, teacher, friend, and everything else around about and in between. I teach photography to Muir Middle school students and will graduate from UCLA’s art program in June 2006. I’ve worked with the UCLA Daily Bruin and the Delaware News Journal. I am a future professional adventurer and photographer; I will spend this coming year working in Utah as a wilderness therapy instructor. My current life goal is to travel around the world, climbing mountains, meeting awesome people, expanding my mind, and bringing goodness everywhere I go.”
A returning student with many years of theater experience as a performer, director, producer and writer, Kincaid is completing a Cultural Studies concentration in the World Arts and Cultures Department. She has been accepted to join the Los Angeles Corps of “Teach for America” in fall 2006 and is looking forward to helping foster educational equity in our public schools while drawing upon her theater arts expertise.
Tatiana Johnson is a choreographer and performing artist interested in working with inner city youth in behavior transformation through various community performing arts projects. She is a graduating senior in World Arts and Cultures.
Vanessa Verdoodt’s love for Hip Hop and House dance brought her to Los Angeles in 2000 from Belgium. Since then she has performed with Cirque du Soleil, One step Ahead, Lotus and Soul Sector throughout the U.S and Europe. Verdoodt has worked with Rennie Harris, Krs-One, Jurassic Five, Breakestra and Elleeven. Through ArtsBridge, she teaches a World Dance and Global Consciousness curriculum at Santa Monica High School. Recently, her dance company the Get Down Dolls won the 2006 Tony Tee Creativity in Choreography Award. As a Zulu Nation member, Verdoodt writes a column on Global Hip Hop and women in Hip Hop for the quarterly newspaper The Fifth Element. After graduation, she plans on teaching, developing her dance company, making documentaries, and continuing to develop her craft in the art of dance.
