Students

Annual event draws 200 hackers for 48 hours of creating solutions, networking 

San Francisco State University’s annual hackathon returned to campus Feb. 13 – 15, bringing 48 hours of new opportunities to our students to create solutions, network with industry professionals and more. The theme for this year’s SF Hacks event, “Tech for a Greener Tomorrow,” encouraged projects focused on sustainability and taking care of our future. 

The student-run event attracted 300 people to the Student Life Events Center. Participants included hackers from across the country, as well as judges, panelists and mentors. Corporate sponsors included Major League Hacking, the venture-capital fund JFFVentures, Meta, IBM, Backboard, Medsender, Broxi AI, Actian, CRS, Upstreman and Shipyard, with beverages provided by Celsius, Red Bull, Poppi, Monster, Bloom and GST Living Foods. SFSU sponsors included the Computer Science Department, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Programs and the campus chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery.  

The event featured 77 student projects. About 30 SFSU students volunteered their time to put on the hackathon. 

“All of the attendees were able to build relationships and network with sponsors who are hiring,” said Ria Thakker, president of SF Hacks and a fourth-year Computer Science student.  

Thakker adds that numerous student volunteers have landed internships at leading companies after volunteering for SF Hacks. She interned at Uber in software development. 

“The tech companies and startups were excited to be part of the event. Companies like Meta and IBM want to come to schools like San Francisco State,” she said. “I want to give students hope and opportunities in their job search.” 

Jim Chen volunteered at SF Hacks for the third consecutive year. He recently completed his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. He attended SFSU as an international student from Taiwan.  

“This event has the magic to pull alumni like me back,” Chen said. “You’re gaining connections from all around the world.” 

SF Hacks served as the official launch for a new partnership between Major League Hacking and JFFVentures to champion the next generation of builders in the southwestern U.S. To compete for the JFFVentures Prize, participants were challenged to create a tool or platform that bridges the gap between innovation and opportunity. The winners, students Maria Palacios, Guadalupe Carrillo Vega, Raina Zab and Matilda Verdejo Aitken, were honored for bottlr, a platform that connects donors of recyclable products directly with local bottle collectors. They received Lego sets and an exclusive meeting with the JFFVentures investment team. 

Overall, 30 student projects won prizes. The awards vary, including career coaching sessions with industry professionals, electronics, appliances and cash. 

The SF Hacks team seeks volunteers for next year’s hackathon. For details, e-mail Thakker at rthakker@sfsu.edu. 

Learn more about the SFSU Computer Science Department. 

Michael Poryes, co-creator of ‘Hannah Montana’ and ‘That’s So Raven,’ leads workshop in Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts Department 

Michael Poryes has a vision — though he’s not a psychic like the main character from “That’s So Raven,” one of the hit television shows he helped create. Poryes is a guest instructor at San Francisco State University, where he coaches students on their creative, entrepreneurial projects. 

Poryes’ vision actualized looks like feedback in small groups, one-on-one mentorship, humor and positive energy. He cultivates a casual atmosphere inside the small room in Marcus Hall where his workshop is held. While he says the entertainment industry is more competitive than ever, he also wants to impart that success is achievable if you commit yourself. 

“The people that make it are tenacious, and they keep going back and back and back,” said Poryes, feet resting on the table in New Balance sneakers. “Anybody that keeps telling you, ‘Well, it’s so hard, it’s so impossible, blah blah.’ Get them out of your life. Because it is hard, but it is not impossible, and the thing that drives you is your belief in yourself and your passion. If you have that, nothing’s going to stop you.” 

Poryes came to SFSU through an alumni connection. His wife, Diane Poryes, earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science here in 1988. The Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts Department offers the workshop, which meets four hours a week. Students don’t receive course credit, and they have to find time in their schedules to attend. In other words, they have to want it. Poryes is very impressed with the talent, skills and passion at SFSU. 

Sarah Burke, who completed his workshop last spring, calls it “a college experience I will never forget.” 

“Michael took his time to understand my writing goals and style and understand the level of expertise I was at,” she said. “He encouraged me to continue practicing regardless of how scary the industry may look — and never cool down my creative fiery spirit.”  

Poryes knows a lot about the fire within required to make it. He waited tables in Beverly Hills, keeping a notepad in his apron to jot down jokes. One of his early breakthroughs came in 1982, selling a script for “The Jeffersons” to the executive story editor, SFSU alumnus Peter Casey (B.A., ’75). Poryes is also the co-creator of “Hannah Montana,” the Disney sensation that introduced Miley Cyrus. He continues to develop new shows and meets with networks and streaming services to pitch his ideas. He thrives off of an expectation that 90% of his pitches will be rejected. 

“The other 10% — when you’ve written something and you’re on stage and you hear that laugh exactly where you wanted it — that’s worth it,” he said. “You know, welcome to Hollywood. You’re working for the 10% because the 90% to get there is really hard.” 

Jessica Yeh, an actress and improv performer, applied to the workshop for help writing a film. Under Poryes’ mentorship, the MFA student in Cinema is now working on an original one-woman show.  

“I’m learning, in a lot of ways, to get out of my own way,” she said. “That has helped me to keep going when I’m hesitant about a certain idea, but that I know, deep down, is something I want to communicate and something that I want to put out in the world.” 

Madison Leone (B.A., ’25) is creating an audio app for telling bedtime stories to children. 

“He’s helped bring my ideas to life,” she said. “He’s given more modern twists on them to make them feasible to maybe sell in the future, which I wasn’t even thinking about. I was just thinking about making a fun project, but Michael has given us the lens of how to profit off of it.” 

Christopher Roberts, who worked with Poryes in the spring, describes him as the kind of grounded, generous and visionary leader he aspires to be himself. Poryes has changed the way that Roberts thinks, works and lives.  

“Under his guidance, I learned how to speak with precision, structure stories that resonate and turn raw imagination into focused, tangible results,” Roberts said. “These weren’t lessons that faded after the semester. They’ve become a permanent part of how I work, collaborate and navigate the world.” 

Poryes’ workshop will continue at SFSU next semester. All are invited to apply with a Jan. 30 deadline. For more information, email Professor Miriam at tvsmith@sfsu.edu.

Learn more about the Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts Department. 

Four-day class gives new students an opportunity to see iconic sites while exploring the city by public transit

When you decide to go to a big city university like San Francisco State, you’re going to need to know how to navigate public transit. SFSU has a class for that. The capstone of the four-day, one-unit “Living in San Francisco” class takes over 200 new Gator students on a Municipal Railway (Muni) adventure throughout this beautiful, one-of-a-kind city.   

Riding public transit is more than an exciting and eco-friendly way for you to explore the San Francisco Bay Area — It’s also the most affordable. All SFSU students receive unlimited rides throughout 22 transit agencies spanning all nine Bay Area counties. It’s a reason why students are choosing SFSU. 

“The transit here is accessible. Back at home, there aren’t many trains and it’s not as efficient. Even if I had a car, I wouldn’t want to drive it here,” said April Ulloa, a freshman from Santa Monica, while waiting with her classmates for an inbound M Oceanview train at the SFSU/Parkmerced station. 

“If it’s free, you especially have to take advantage,” added her new friend Kenya Velasquez, a freshman from San Leandro.  

SFSU launches new accelerated degree pathway for freshmen to earn their bachelor’s degree in three years

Are you interested in earning your degree faster while saving money along the way? We have the answer for you: the Three-Year Accelerated Pathway to a Degree. It’s designed to help incoming freshmen earn their bachelor’s degree in just three years. 

The pathway follows the same degree requirements as a traditional program, but at a faster pace. Students will follow a carefully planned sequence of classes across fall, spring and summer terms. Advisers work closely with participants to ensure the pathway is both manageable and tailored to their academic goals.

This type of pathway is currently offered for three majors: Criminal Justice Studies, History and Race, Ethnicity and Health. The goal is to add more majors that offer this pathway.

“We find more and more that students are looking for flexibility of options on so many levels,” SFSU Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education Kim Altura said. “Some students want to go to school year-round because they find the summer break interrupts their momentum. This is another way we can package our degrees to be more flexible for students while also providing a clear, detailed roadmap to graduation.” 

Why choose the three-year pathway?

Completing your degree in three years provides several advantages:

• Save time: Finish a full year earlier than the traditional four-year timeline.
• Save money: Reduce tuition, housing and living costs.
• Get ahead: Enter the workforce or pursue graduate school sooner, giving you a competitive edge.

With three-year degree pathways, we also work with students to provide them with academic credit for their relevant work experience.

Who is this pathway for?

The Three-Year Pathway is ideal for incoming freshmen who:

• Bring in Advanced Placement (AP) or college-level transfer credits.
• Are committed to following a year-round academic plan that includes summer sessions.
• Want a clear roadmap that outlines the path to graduation.

How to get started

If you are currently a first-year student pursuing a major in Criminal Justice Studies, History or Race, Ethnicity and Health, connect with your assigned adviser in the Undergraduate Advising Center or the Educational Opportunity and Pathway Programs (for EOPP students) to start building your personalized pathway today.

If you’re a high school senior, apply to SFSU today. Once enrolled, you can choose to follow the three-year pathway for the available majors.

Learn more about the Three-Year Accelerated Pathway to a Degree.

Make art, play games and explore the Bay Area while getting to know your fellow Gators 

Stay ready, Gators. At San Francisco State University, our festivities welcoming you to campus extend for three months. The annual Gatorfest, continuing through Halloween, features dances, recreational sports, game nights, art making, live comedy improv and many more opportunities to get to know your fellow Gators. 

“I definitely recommend going to Gatorfest,” said Christian Flower, a student who works for SFSU Campus Recreation. “I think it’s great for students to take full advantage of all opportunities and resources and events that happen on campus. It’s a good way to not only network, but to put your face out there, make new friends and get involved on campus.”  

“All of this is here for you,” said student Sam Aranibar, also from Campus Recreation. “Just have fun and I hope to see you there!” 

Visit the SFSU Student Activities website for the full Gatorfest schedule and more information. 

‘Queer Transformations at SF State, 1969 – 1974’ examines a transformative chapter in LGBTQ and campus history 

It was November 1970, amid antiwar protests and just a year and a half after a long and difficult student strike at San Francisco State College. The administration granted recognition to the Gay Liberation Front as an official student organization at a time when LGBTQ clubs did not exist in most colleges and universities. 

“At one time even being gay could get a person thrown off campus,” Gay Liberation Front founder Charles Thorpe told the San Francisco Gay Press. “... This is another victory on our road to more liberation. ... In celebration a thousand lavender bunnies will be freed on campus within the next two weeks.”   

The lavender bunnies never appeared, but future generations of Gators would feel less of a need to hide their identity. 

Thorpe’s bold commentary is just one of dozens of anecdotes of San Francisco State University history in a new online exhibition, “Queer Transformations at SF State, 1969 – 1974,” on the OutHistory website. The exhibition also spotlights contributions from faculty pioneers such as Sally Gearhart and Morgan Pinney, folk musician Betty Kaplowitz (B.A., ’70) and antiwar advocate Gary Weinberg (B.A., ’72). 

History Professor Marc Stein is the director of the website and the curator of the exhibit. More than 40 SFSU students contributed to researching it. SFSU’s Marcus Transformative Research Award and the Jamie and Phyllis Pasker Chair in U.S. History and Constitutional Law helped support the exhibit. 

Stein notes that the student-led 1968 – 1969 Third World Liberation Front strike, which resulted in establishing the first-ever College of Ethnic Studies, inspired the LGBTQ liberation movement on campus and beyond.  

“As it turns out, LGBTQ people participated in the strike and the strike inspired an upsurge in LGBTQ activism,” said Stein, president-elect of the Organization of American Historians. Thorpe, the Gay Liberation Front founder, was active in the strike and inspired by the civil rights movement, for example. 

As a research assistant on “Queer Transformations at SF State,” Zach Greenberg (B.A., ’24; M.A., ’25) spent months reviewing bound volumes of archival SF State student newspapers. He added about 700 of the articles cited in the exhibition, in addition to fact checking, editing and contributing his own photographs.  

“This provided useful training for me, but also it provided an example of the kind of work I’d like to do, which is making history publicly available,” said Greenberg, who won this year’s History Department Graduate Award for Distinguished Achievement. “It was very interesting to see San Francisco State students in the late 1960s and early 1970s around my own age, take up very important activism and coming out as queer people — at significant risk to themselves.” 

View the “Queer Transformations at San Francisco” online exhibition. (Advisory: The exhibition includes nudity, explicit language and hate speech.) 

Class partners with Nature Conservancy, creates products to present at BioDesign Challenge 

Early one rainy morning in March, more than 25 San Francisco State University students departed together from campus for an all-day field trip to Mendocino County. Covering over 300 miles round trip, the excursion gave a School of Design class a hands-on view of the combative relationship between bull kelp and predatory sea urchins, teaming with The Nature Conservancy to design solutions restoring their natural habitat. 

 As the shoreline came into the horizon near the end of the bus trip up north, the wet weather suddenly turned sunny, clearing the way for a bright day of visits to the Noyo Center for Marine Science, the Mendocino Art Center, art galleries and studios and Portuguese Beach. Late in the afternoon, the bus turned around, reaching SFSU for drop-off after dark.  

“It was exhausting, but inspiring and invigorating,” student Jonathan Blythe said. “It put the wind in our sails.”  

The “Product Design II” class, offered in two sections, is dedicated this semester to developing new, sustainable ways to solve a problem on the North Coast tinted by climate-change: overpopulated sea urchins are preying on the bull kelp, destroying the ecosystem. Research by The Nature Conservancy finds that 96% of the kelp forest has disappeared in 10 years. 

The students’ group projects have discovered a range of innovations. Blythe’s group is developing sea-wall traps to reintroduce more starfish into the Pacific Ocean near kelp restoration sites, where the starfish can prey on the sea urchin.  

“I’ve always been interested in sustainable materials. This class has been a crash course in it,” said Blythe, a graduate student in Design. “It’s been helpful to gain the experience of bringing a product to fruition, by that means, that is less harmful to the planet.” 

Another student, Huan Chang, is in a group creating an aquaculture system that converts the atmospheric carbon dioxide within sea urchins into calcium carbonate, which wineries can use in the fermentation process with efficiency and ecological sustainability. The group adds that uni, the edible portion of the urchin used to make sushi and other delicacies, makes a delightful pairing with wine. 

“For the field trip, we prepared ahead of time what we needed to bring, what kinds of questions we should ask and how we can do field research,” Chang said. “It really excited me because talking with your classmates and the professors is quite different from what you feel and what you learn on site, especially from the scientists, the divers and the specialists in the field. It’s a totally different experience.” 

The opportunity to conduct fieldwork attracted Design graduate student Blane Asrat to take “Product Design II” as an elective.  

“We were able to examine the holdfasts of the bull kelp attached to the rocks. That attachment to the rocks and to the ocean floor was a significant part of our research,” she said. “Being able to see that in real life and pull the bull kelp apart from the rock and realizing it’s not coming off. Whatever adhesion that this is producing in nature is so strong that it’s almost fused.” 

Student Damani “Phesto Dee” Thompson focused on documenting the day through sketches and photographs. As a platinum-selling recording artist with the Souls of Mischief and Hieroglyphics, he has traveled the world for decades, but from this field trip gained a deep appreciation for kelp and its importance in the ecosystem. 

“Design is a roadmap for solving problems,” said Thompson, an Industrial Design major. “We’re dealing with the problem of the loss of the kelp along the coast, so they’ve contacted us as designers — not to make something cute and beautiful, but to figure out some kind of solution thinking outside the box.” 

The course instructor, Assistant Professor Fernando F.S. Carvalho, aims to give students a deeper understanding of design processes and connect them with science. He has been impressed by the student groups for their confidence and ambition in engaging with scientific literature to develop products. 

“They are incorporating science into their learning,” said Carvalho, noting many of the students are studying for a Bachelor of Science degree. “It will take them to the next level.” 

Design Lecturer Faculty Josie Iselin (MFA, ’94) serves as a partner to the class through her ocean literacy campaign Above/Below. 

“It’s been transforming,” Iselin said. “You really see the growth of the students.” 

For the third straight year, one group from the class will travel to New York City in June to compete in the BioDesign Challenge, an annual international competition promoting integrated design, innovation and biotechnology. Funding from the MillerKnoll Foundation, SF State’s Institute for Civic and Community Engagement and donor Richard Ingalls have supported the class.  

Tristin McHugh, the kelp project director for The Nature Conservancy’s California Oceans Program, gave an in-person presentation during the field trip at a major restoration site in Fort Bragg.  

“I was really impressed with how bright and interested the students were. They showed up to the challenge,” she said. “They will have a very direct application in solving this problem now.” 

Learn more about the SFSU School of Design. 

Housing for 2025 – 2026 is guaranteed for all students who complete an application by April 6 

Imagine walking from bed to class in your pajamas. A near-zero commute is just one of the reasons that living on the San Francisco State University campus translates to academic success and a fast track to graduation. Application for student housing at SFSU for 2025 – 2026 opened March 3 at 9 a.m.  

All freshman applicants who have accepted their admission offer and submitted the housing application with their initial payment are guaranteed a bed in one of the University’s seven residential communities; new transfer students and continuing students must accept their admission offer and submit a housing application with their initial payment by Sunday, April 6, to receive a guarantee. All units are all-inclusive: fully furnished with Wi-Fi and utilities. They also offer exclusive student services, study spaces and shorter license terms than the standard 12-month duration on the rental market.  

“I feel it’s very beneficial to live on campus as a student — especially if it’s one of your first years away from home,” student Keely said. “It’s just nice to have others who are going through the same experience as you and who are able to relate with you about being a student and going through the college life.”  

SFSU research has found that students who live on campus are more likely to take additional units each semester. Their four-year graduation rate is 58% higher than students who live off campus. Additionally, first-year students who live on campus achieve a grade-point average 10% higher than those who live off campus.  

Based on a new survey of SFSU students and families compiled by Know Research and Lexicon & Line, more than two-thirds of first-year and returning residents find that living on campus has improved their academics. More than three-fourths of parents state that living on campus has improved their students’ academics. 

SFSU’s campus and residential community are equipped with security, including 24/7 availability for on-campus police and Residential Life staff, key access to all residential buildings, lighted pathways, emergency phones and a free accompanied safe-walking service. 

“At San Francisco State University, you can have peace of mind knowing that your student is in a safe living and learning environment where they are poised to grow professionally and personally,” said Jeny V. Patiño, associate vice president for Housing, Dining and Conference Services. “With a scenic location just one mile from the beach and free public transit throughout the Bay Area for students, a world of opportunity awaits outside your door.” 

A reduced-rate student housing program for first-time freshmen launched last year. The first program of its kind in the CSU system, it provides reduced rates for 725 students in any of the residential communities available to first-time freshmen who meet the qualifications to receive a Cal Grant A or B financial aid award.   

Photo Credit: Juan Montes

SFSU’s residential communities: 

• West Grove Commons opened in fall 2024. The 751-bed, six-story building for freshmen covers 120,000 square feet. Each floor is designed “pod-style,” including a shared all-gender bathroom and study and lounge spaces.  
• The Towers at Centennial Square is a 16-story high-rise with one- and two-bedroom suites for freshmen and sophomores. Rooms are double or triple occupancy with a private bathroom, kitchenette and a living and dining area.  
• Towers Junior Suites is a five-story building with partial suites, all for freshmen. Rooms are double occupancy and include a private bathroom. 
• The Village at Centennial Square, which opened in 2001, features two- and three-bedroom apartments for junior/senior transfer students and international students. Rooms are single or double occupancy with a private bathroom, full kitchen and a living and dining area.  
• Manzanita Square, built in 2020, is a mixed community for sophomores, juniors, seniors and transfer students interested in living year-round. This community offers apartment-style living: private bathrooms, full kitchen, and a living and dining area, with single and double occupancy available. The eight-story building also features lounge and study spaces, a gym and a community courtyard.  
• University Park North was built in the 1950s as the Stonestown Apartments before being purchased by SF State in 2005. It is a mixed community for junior and senior continuing students and graduate students. It has apartments of one, two and three bedrooms. Rooms are single or double occupancy with private bathroom(s), a full kitchen and a living and dining area.  
• University Park South, enmeshed with the Parkmerced apartment community next door to campus, is for junior and senior continuing students. It has apartments of one, two and three bedrooms. Rooms are single or double occupancy with private bathroom, a full kitchen and a living and dining area.  

 Students will move into their new campus residences at SFSU in mid-August. Apply early for on-campus housing, as spaces are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.   

Learn about on-campus housing and apply online. 

SFSU Fine Arts Gallery showcases findings from grant-funded Office for the Study of the Ordinary 

In these extraordinary times, we can learn something by stepping back and exploring the ordinary. At San Francisco State University, about 100 students led by an artist-in-residence have investigated the everyday, creating new works of art in a “fake” department called The Office for the Study of the Ordinary.  

A culminating exhibition in the SFSU Fine Arts Gallery showcases the processes, artifacts and printed material compiled over the past year by 150 overall participants. “Objects of Inquiry: The Office for the Study of the Ordinary” is on display Saturday, Feb. 22 – Saturday, April 5. Admission is free. 

“Bureaucracy and art seemingly wouldn’t mesh. Put them together and something weird comes out,” said Liz Hernández, the Harker Artist-in-Residence at SFSU, a position made possible by the Harker Fund at the San Francisco Foundation. “The ordinary can be extraordinary if you shift your focus.” 

Hernández worked alongside students in their classes for one to two weeks at a time to create collaborative art projects. Supplied with lab coats, magnifying glasses and measuring tape, students strolled the campus and took pictures of their observations. They created ID cards with fictional job titles for themselves: fantastical daydreamer, termite enthusiast, dust collector and so on.

Photo by Liz Hernández

Student Nanako Nirei has contributed an acrylic drawing for a large-scale comic about SFSU’s mascot, depicted as a fictional character named Al the Gator. Nirei is enrolled in the Art 619 “Exhibition Design” course that is responsible for installing and promoting “Objects of Inquiry.” 

“This is the first time I’ve been part of a big show,” she said. “I’m honored being in it and helping put everything up.” 

Upon entry to “Objects of Inquiry,” visitors are greeted at a reception desk assembled with old furniture from campus storage. They are then led on a self-guided tour highlighted by a false tale involving student protests against inhumane treatment of an alligator housed on the SFSU campus. (For the record, this never actually happened; fakeness and subversion are hallmarks of Hernández’s art). Hernández created a life-sized sculpture of an alligator with angel wings, laying on a stretcher.   

“I wanted to show the legacy of student-led protests at SF State. I was surprised that so many students didn’t know about it,” Hernández said. “I like to tell stories to the world through fiction in a way that doesn’t damage anyone, but gets you to think.” 

Collaborating with students has been the most rewarding part of Hernández’s residency, she says: “I’ve learned so much from the students. There are small moments of tenderness and vulnerability. I’d never expect students to open up that way.” 

An opening reception for “Objects of Inquiry” will be held Feb. 22, 1 – 3 p.m. Regular hours for the Fine Arts Gallery are Tuesdays – Fridays, noon – 4 p.m. 

Learn more about the SFSU School of Art. 

Pocket Opera collaboration brings Animation students into new film adaptation of Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute’ 

The COVID-19 quarantines of 2020 forced educators and artists alike to work in new and creative ways. One such collaboration involving San Francisco State University’s School of Cinema just recently enjoyed its debut. “A Pocket Magic Flute” is an animated film adaptation of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” produced by the Pocket Opera company of San Francisco. It is a finalist for the Digital Excellence in Opera Award from Opera America. 

Nicolas A. Garcia, artistic director of the San Francisco Pocket Opera, conceived the film project and garnered funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and Opera America. He contacted SFSU Cinema Professor Martha Gorzycki to get students involved. Gorzycki (MFA, ’02), the director of the University’s Animation Program, mentored five student interns who worked on pre-production and production: Estrella Torres, Jacqueline “Rosie” Nares, Alex Wood, Madeline Ko and Jessie Plascencia. 

“It really helped me understand how the pipeline of production works in animation,” said Nares (B.A., ’22), now a library media assistant at an elementary school in Stockton. “I already had a bit of an idea just because I’m a huge animation fan. But being firsthand, I got to try a little bit of everything. Working in background, character and prop design, I was able to figure out where I fit in the pipeline, too, because it is my dream is to work in the industry.” 

Torres (B.A., ’21) helped create storyboards and design characters and props. She says working on “A Pocket Magic Flute” was a pivotal moment for her. 

“It gave me my first real opportunity to step into the animation world and feel confident in my skills,” Torres said. “When Martha reached out to me specifically because of my talents, it was such an honor. It gave me the encouragement I needed to believe in myself and my abilities as an artist. The class she created was small, with only five students, and I felt so fortunate to be one of them. 

“The experience not only helped me grow as an artist, but also reinforced my love for animation as a medium for storytelling,” added Torres, now an instructional aide for middle-school students with disabilities in Brentwood. “I’m truly excited to see how it resonates with audiences and how it might inspire others.” 

Shawneé Gibbs (B.A., ’02) and Shawnelle Gibbs (B.A., ’02) are the lead producers, screenwriters and animation directors on “A Pocket Magic Flute.” The siblings comprise a powerhouse team, writing scripts for cartoons for many of the major studios and networks. Miriam Lewis (MFA, ’12) is the lead costumer. They all attended the world-premiere screening, held in the August Coppola Theatre at SFSU on Sept. 25. 

“A Pocket Magic Flute” has brought together numerous arts organizations, including the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, Oakland Youth Symphony, Sacramento Youth Symphony and Sirnare Animation Studio in Kenya. 

“A Pocket Magic Flute” is now traveling to classrooms of fourth to eighth graders, accompanied by a curriculum and appearances by the artists in person. 

“This was a local and international collaboration of diverse teams of scholars and artists coming together remotely to produce a 20-minute animated film,” Gorzycki said. “One of the primary goals of this project is to educate youth and especially BIPOC [Black, Indigenous and People of Color] youth on collaborative and creative career possibilities in the performing arts, fine arts and media arts.”  

Learn more about the SFSU School of Cinema.