SAN FRANCISCO – Celebrating their work in front of and behind the camera, a grand total of 11 Academy of Art student-athletes were bestowed year-end honors at the 2020 School of Communications & Media Technologies Awards. Reflecting back, each individual honored offered memories of their favorite projects and classes as well as their experience as both artists and athletes.


Nicolas Boffman (Men's Cross Country/Track & Field) – Best Undergraduate On Camera Award
A judge on Academy's Mic Knight as well as a show host and reporter, Boffman fondly remembers a project from this past year featuring his younger brother. Boffman put together a piece showing how his brother, a star basketball player and newly graduated high school senior whose year got cut short by COVID-19, overcame the uncertainty of initially not being signed is now going on to play collegiate basketball. His story highlighted how his brother was one of many senior student-athletes who had to grind and find a way to enjoy the rest of their senior year online and continue their athletic goals on the next level.
 
"Time management and maturity as a student-athlete have definitely helped me with my work," said Boffman. "Getting up at 6 a.m. for weights and going to class before and after practice has kept my day busy. Making sure I spend my time right has been paramount so I can handle my business in the classroom and still give effort on the track. Being mature enough to work hard and still have some fun is also an important thing. Once you're mature enough to take control of time management, you will succeed."


Rabah Houali (Men's Cross Country/Track & Field) – Best Undergraduate Producer Award
An expert with a drone and meticulous videographer, Houali recalls his favorite project as the 2019 Sony Xperia Film Festival. In Algeria last summer, he did not think he would have a chance to participate in the challenge to produce a short film under five minutes about the words "Kando," "Joy," or "Wonder" using only the Sony Xperia 1 phone. However, thanks to the dedicated efforts from COM Department Director Jan Yanheiro, Associate Director Steve Kotton, and Instructor Richard Hart to send the phone internationally, Houali immediately launched into extensive shooting, recording music, and editing over two intense days. He described the meaningful, poetic, and visually stunning piece as "the most beautiful thing I had ever done" and inspired him to become even more passionate about storytelling and videography.

"Being a student-athlete has always pushed me in my daily life," said Houali, who was recently named an All-American in the Distance Medley Relay. "Sport is all about work, respect, discipline, and concentration. It is also about those little things that can substantially change the perspective of a whole situation. I have learned to incorporate these values into everything I do and I can say that it makes me somewhat different from the others. Throughout my journey at ART U, I managed to build a character through the good things, but also through the bad things such as my injury last year. I had three months off and, instead of wasting my time thinking about how fast I would have ran or how frustrating the situation was, I stepped up and started to produce videos. Thinking about it one year later, I am certain that those times allowed me to be who I am today, that is to say, a student-athlete as well as a passionate videographer, who will always keep stepping up and keep pushing for more."

Check out Houali's profile page in the 2020 Spring Show!


Merlica Faustin (Women's Track & Field) – Best Undergraduate Editor Award
A new addition to the ART U women's track & field team in the spring, Faustin immediately made an impact both on the track and with a camera in hand. Her most memorable project was a mini-documentary from COM 102 – Visual Storytelling: Editing Fundamentals for Short-Form Video Content that deftly applied what she had learned and gave expression to her feelings about the effects of the current situation on her as an athlete. A Health Science major at her previous school, Faustin discovered her own innate video creation talents at Academy of Art very quickly.

"I loved all my teachers and every assignment that I had was so much fun to do," said Faustin. "I am really glad that I transferred schools and got to experience such an amazing atmosphere. Being a student-athlete and a full-time student makes me feel more motivated because I know what I want and worked so hard to get it so at this point in my life I can't just throw that away."

Check out Faustin's profile page in the 2020 Spring Show!


Austin LaBarber (Baseball) – Best Undergraduate Editor Award
LaBarber, who homered in his last game before the COVID-19 pandemic prematurely ended the season, found his first year at Academy of Art to be rather enjoyable. His Intro to Editing class during the previous semester tasked him with a fun midterm project where he created a music video, telling a story exclusively using visuals. Whether behind the plate or in front of the computer, LaBarber looks forward to continuing to craft his skills in the future.

"Being a student-athlete for so many years, the experience has been awesome," said LaBarber. "The takeaways that I've had are definitely hard work, the will to win, the need for competition, and wanting to be the best at everything you're doing whether that be your sport, your schoolwork, your career, or whatever it is. That's what I try to do every time that I put myself toward a goal."


Pam Wilmore (Women's Basketball) – Achievement Award
During a semester that followed her impressive debut as the Urban Knights' confident floor general, Wilmore devoted much of her time to a mini-documentary for her final project in her Fundamental Editing class. She ended up turning the camera on herself, opening up and having that experience in a full effect.

"Of course being a student-athlete you always worry about turning in work late or getting behind in the classroom," said Wilmore. "I have carried on a strong dedication to my work in the real world knowing there will be a consequences if I don't do what I'm supposed to do."


Natalia Novak (Women's Cross Country/Track & Field) – Achievement Award
One of two Most Valuable Players on the ART U women's track & field team, Novak came to Academy of Art after having studied film production previously and was able to embrace new challenges in her first year as a junior transfer. More comfortable working behind-the-scenes, she suddenly had to adapt to being on camera and voicing her own podcasts as a few examples. Despite her initial hesitation and to her surprise, these classes ended up being her favorites. In COM Associate Director Steve Kotton's COM 103 - You Media: Short Form Production class, she created the piece closest to her heart, a delightful taste of the countryside of her home country of Hungary that features her 96-year-old great-grandfather and some of her family and friends.

"Being a student-athlete helps me with time management," said Novak. "Not having a lot of time on my hands makes me better at planning my day or week. I need to think ahead, considering practices, races, and my classes. It helps me be a bit more organized. I still have some room for improvement in that area, but the student-athlete life definitely helps me to get better at it. From running I've also learned that the only way to get better is to keep on doing it. Just like I can't expect to run faster without practicing, I can't expect a better quality in my work without working on more and more projects. But I also have to be patient with it. Sometimes working hard just keeps me on the same level for a while before I notice any improvement."

Check out Novak's profile page in the 2020 Spring Show!


Picabo Reinhold (Volleyball) – Achievement Award
The ART U volleyball team's assist leader for the second consecutive season, Reinhold remembers her COM 200 – Multiplatform Content Creation class with Dianne Fukami as both her most challenging and her favorite. Enjoying the fact that she would work on the various skills of producing, writing, shooting, and editing 2-minute videos all in one class, she ventured out into the field to tell exciting stories and interview many interesting people in San Francisco. Forcing her outside of her comfort zone, the class was both fun and informative while showing Reinhold that there is no real substitute for hands-on experience in the field.

"My experience as a student-athlete has influenced me and my work regarding my time management, discipline, and teamwork," said Reinhold. "In many of my classes, time management was essential because I had to go out in the field, shoot videos for my stories, set up interviews with people, and make their schedule fit with mine. Volleyball with our practice and game schedule helped me to stay organized and disciplined. Besides, because of volleyball, I already knew what it is like to work in a team and how important it is that everyone does their job to the best of their abilities. I know how important it is to be accountable, but also to hold others accountable, and that helped me, especially in COM 210, where we had to produce a whole newscast with our class."


Matt Sanchez (Baseball) – Achievement Award
While working toward a 2020 season in which he led the Academy of Art baseball team in pitcher strikeouts, Sanchez added to his visual storytelling portfolio with a memorable project in Diane Fukami's COM 200/202 classes (Multiplatform Content Creation, Express Yourself: Online Production & Promotion). Dedicated toward producing a 30-minute celebrity profile on Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Kenny Giles, Sanchez flew to Arizona to pursue the story which would reveal the current Major Leaguer's inspiring journey. The piece was one of several that came in the class geared toward creating weekly live shows threading together producing clips, compiling reports, and a live newscast.
 
"Being a student-athlete has shown me how much time management you need to be able to play the sport and on how to do your work at the same time," said Sanchez. "When I first started at Academy of Art, I had to learn how to make videos on my off-time and try to reach out to my interviewers. How I use my skills every day is by using my visuals. I hear about a story and I automatically think how I can transform that into a video or how I can help someone tell a story. But I am lucky that I can say getting my major in Communications & Media Technologies allows me to stick around the sport that I love."


Camille Jouanno (Women's Track & Field) – Best Graduate On Camera Award
Jouanno, still the reining NCAA Division II Indoor Triple Jump National Champion, selected her graduate class COM 604 – On-Camera Performance for Multiplatform Media as her favorite thus far. And while thriving in her role on air, in this past semester, she thoroughly enjoyed the task of creating a mini-documentary. Coming from a collection of many athletes, Jouanno enthusiastically chose to focus on her own family, producing a piece that connected her with many members as she delved into how sport has affected her family.

"Being a student athlete influences my work a lot," said Jouanno. "Most of the time, my ideas are related and inspired by passion for sport."


Ombretta Picciolie Minkue Meye (Women's Track & Field) – Best Graduate Focus Award
Named an All-American in the Indoor 60m and 200m after a breakout spring season, Minkue Meye tapped into her passion for hairstyles in one of her most memorable projects to date. She explored many different methods for "Do it yourself" styles as it relates to afro short hair and found herself learning to be on camera while enjoying the process of incorporating graphics and music. Out of the experience, Minkue Meye ultimately discovered an intrigue with editing which she will pursue in the year to come.
 
"The influence of being a student-athlete leads me to start a project early so I can manage and organize my time," said Minkue Meye. "It's about the perseverance to keep pushing myself to create good work in my field and to work faster but efficiently as well." 

Check out Minkue Meye's profile page in the 2020 Spring Show!


Ryan Gamboa (Baseball) – Urban Knights Radio Award
Off to a hot start at the plate this spring, Gamboa finished as the ART U baseball team leader in runs batted in, but meanwhile, he was also pioneering a podcast called "The Saloon" on Urban Knights Radio. Embracing a unique opportunity, Gamboa's passionate attitude helped gain interest from other students and with it the support for the first country music show on the station's airwaves in several years.

"I'm grateful that I get to bring a taste of my hometown and upbringing to the big city," said Gamboa. "That brings me great joy."
 
One of Gamboa's other memorable classes was his experience in COM 200/210 (Multiplatform Content Creation, Multiplatform Content Live) which opened his eyes to what he wants to pursue as his career. Offering the opportunity to work in a live news broadcast every week while creating stories, the class helped him connect with his love of news-style storytelling and played a part in him securing a work opportunity with a local television station in Redding.  
 
"I've noticed that throughout this entire pandemic, not having sports and much more free time has made me not as disciplined," said Gamboa. "There is something about having that busy schedule, especially in the hustle and bustle of San Francisco, that makes you get after it and get it done. Maybe it's the slow lifestyle of my hometown, but it has been an adjustment. I am itching to get back to school and finish out with a bang."

Check out Gamboa's profile page in the 2020 Spring Show!