Despite being the new assistant professor in the Film and Digital Media department, Chari Glogovac-Smith’s work covers music, digital art, and performance as well. “I started my musical and artistic journey by writing music and conducting sound experiments and thinking about how sound is paired with the moving image, because I loved watching movies all the time when I was a kid,” they said.
Like most who come to the University of California, Santa Cruz campus, Glogovac-Smith was drawn in by the scenic beauty, but they also found a home with the community. “It felt like the perfect fit: my research aligned with the job, folks were warm and welcoming, and the nature’s beautiful.”
Born and raised in Las Vegas, Glogovac-Smith describes their childhood as being surprisingly mellow. “I know that Las Vegas has a particular aesthetic that we see in movies with the Strip and the lights and the gambling and all that stuff,” they said. “but it’s actually a very suburban city outside of the Strip.” Their parents were high school sweethearts, and they had tons of family around while growing up.
One of Glogovac-Smith’s favorite things to do in their free time is to laugh. “I think that joy is so important. Humor can really be helpful in having tough conversations,” they said. “I’m an aspiring stand-up comedian. I have done none of it yet, but in my mind, I’m good at it.”
Throughout their career, Glogovac-Smith has received numerous fellowships and was even nominated for an Emmy Award for their music. Currently they are working on a piece for the Seattle Modern Orchestra which will be premiering later this month.
Along with Glogovac-Smith’s work in a variety of arts, they also have a passion for teaching. “Teaching is an opportunity to connect over ideas, to learn from students as much as they learn from me, and to shape the future,” said Glogovac-Smith. “I get a lot of joy from these conversations I have in the classroom and outside the classroom too.” One of their most rewarding experiences so far was teaching a class over the summer on the topic of feelings.
Glogovac-Smith themself is a first-generation college student, and finds it important to connect with their students. “It’s really important to me that I bring that particular experience with me into every room I enter,” says Glogovac-Smith. “It matters to students to see people that not only look like them, but come from maybe similar backgrounds, and for them to know that regardless of where they come from, whatever their upbringing and backgrounds, there’s a place for them in higher education.”
Hiring a diverse faculty aligns with UC Santa Cruz’s commitment to diversity, which is one of the many reasons why Glogovac-Smith wanted to come here. “There’s this amazing history and legacy of wonderful black thinkers and scholars like Angela Davis and bell hooks that were here before.That legacy contributed greatly to my decision.”