COMMUNITY

Road to Hollywood

SMC student Ashley Gonzalez selected for Television Academy Internship Program

By Kamala Kirk Santa Monica College student Ashley Gonzalez has been selected for the prestigious Television Academy Foundation Internship program. She is one of 50 students chosen by Television Academy members from across the country for the 2021 program. Gonzalez is a communications major and will be interning remotely this summer in the children’s programming department at Moonbug Entertainment in Los Angeles. She grew up in the LA foster care system and attended Hawthorne High School. “I feel extremely grateful for an opportunity to learn from individuals that have set the tone in entertainment,” Gonzalez said. “I am so excited to meet industry professionals and establish connections.” Typically, the Television Academy Foundation’s annual Internship Program provides 50 paid internships at top Hollywood studios and production companies to college students nationwide. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Television Academy Foundation has had to reimagine its internship program this year, offering the 50 students selected from across the country the chance

COURTESY OF ASHLEY GONZALEZ

Santa Monica College student Ashley Gonzalez is among 50 students chosen from across the country for the prestigious Television Academy Foundation Internship program. to either intern remotely or enroll as a summer fellow. The internship program also includes virtual professional development panel discussions with leaders in the television industry and customized seminars covering personal brand building and navigating the job market ahead. Interns also become lifelong members of the foundation’s alumni family, giving them access to events and networking opportunities as they build their careers in the industry. The Television Academy Foundation was established in 1959 as the charitable arm of the Television Academy, and is dedicated to preserving the legacy of television while educating and inspiring those who will shape its future. “This internship proves to me that I am on the right path,” Gonzalez said. “Growing up, I was in and out of foster homes and there was not much I had control over. Now, as an adult, I see the importance of showing the world that circumstances don’t define you, and that knowledge and creativity are crafted under those conditions. I have seen so much in my life that it has given me the ability to look through the lenses of others. I find beauty in everything and find ways to make all that I experience into a form of art.”.

Supporting Education

Woman’s Club of Playa del Rey awards scholarships to local students

By Kamala Kirk The Woman’s Club of Playa del Rey recently awarded $1,000 scholarships to three students from Westchester Enriched Sciences Magnets High School. Jasmine Nicole Washington will attend UC San Diego, where she plans to study political science with the goal of becoming a health care attorney and helping to reform the health care system. Denise Martinez will attend UCLA, where she plans to study psychology and become a clinical psychologist. Geyci Martinez is headed to CSU Long Beach, where she plans to earn a degree in public administration: health services. Scholarship committee members, Hilda Almada-Higgins, chair; Margarita Diosomito, Julie Lansing, Vicki Ohlinger and Evelyn Boyar were delighted to help the three young ladies continue to pursue their professional goals. “It mean so much to look back on my childhood, where I started and see where I am right now in my life, I never would have imagined it,” Geyci said. “I felt tears of joy when I read the email saying I was granted the scholarship. It meant a lot to have support and people that believed in me and my future. I feel such an honor to be supported by the Woman’s Club and I can’t stop thanking them for this great honor.”