2025-2026 Dean’s Student Leadership Board

Olivia Theaker (she/her) is a 4th year Art major and Education minor. She enjoys printmaking, playing cards by the studios, music, tennis,  and studying alternative forms of education and learning. Olivia is passionate about creating community within the art department and UCSC at large. Find her if you need information on events, food distribution on campus, study abroad, or just a listening ear.

Lizzy is a 4th year Creative Technologies major. Their love for storytelling, tactile arts, and collaborative play form the foundation of their artistic practice, which has included speculative comics and cross cultural grief knits. When they’re not working on a project, they’re volunteering at the library, knitting with their dog, or playing games with friends. 

Hello! My name is GianCarlo Rodriguez, and I’m originally from Los Angeles, California. I’m currently a fourth-year double major in Film & Digital Media and Economics.

Some of my favorite things to do include spending a sunny day at the beach, thrifting for unique finds, and enjoying time with family and friends. My favorite part of being a film student is the opportunity to explore and analyze films from around the world, discovering new perspectives and stories I may have never encountered.

Combining my passions for film and economics, I’ve developed strong interests in strategic marketing, film analysis, and the ways in which media and storytelling connect with audiences on both emotional and economic levels. I love thinking about how creative work can also have a meaningful impact, from how a film’s narrative can shape cultural conversations to how marketing can build communities around shared experiences.

My passion lies in helping others achieve their goals and using creativity to make a positive difference. I’m inspired by collaboration, storytelling, and the endless possibilities that come from merging art and strategy.

Julieta Castro is a second year History of Art & Visual Culture major at UCSC. She is passionate about learning more about how art can help drive social change and foster connections between people. On campus Julieta is also an EXPLORE undergraduate researcher for the Japanese-American Redress projects administered by History Professors Alice Yang and Jasmine Alinder. Outside of school she enjoys sewing, cooking, and going to art galleries!

Hello everyone! My name is Lorien Linde. I’m a non-binary (they/them), 4th year music composition major who focuses on computer-assisted music and scoring for games and film. Currently, I’m building a portfolio of music I have written predominantly for my own creative projects and stories, but have also created a handful of pieces for video games that my friends have worked on in the past.

When I’m not composing, I enjoy digital art/drawing, writing, taking care of cats, and anything that has to do with marine life and ocean-related topics! My time at UCSC has provided me with many opportunities for collaboration and growth, and I hope to someday work with game studios to score for their games, or other producers who need music scored for them! In addition to that, I’m very interested in potentially teaching music composition, specifically in regards to how we tend to associate certain aspects of music with certain emotions or scenes, and generally creative, musical idea formation, and the interplay between music and visual arts.

I believe that art is an integral part of everyone’s lives, and being able to collaborate with an assortment of different artists is an honor and a joy that I hope everyone gets to experience! 

Rae Sheaperd is a fourth year music major on the contemporary practices track. Her focus is on composition, having three released albums and currently focused on game scoring. She has many tools in her arsenal, gaining experience with sound engineering, recording, as well as writing for orchestra, synthesizer, and everything in between. Her time at UCSC has gotten her connected to the experimental music scene, which she is trying to expand through leading different projects and ensembles in the department. When she’s not composing or performing, she’s either playing video games or participating in the numerous table top role playing games she is a part of.

Duncan Moran is a 4th year Art & Design: Games + Playable Media and a Critical Race & Ethnic Studies double major. He is passionate about making games and spaces of play more accessible for everyone. In his free time, he loves working with and teaching kids, gardening, and playing way too many video games. He is from Oakland, CA, but has found a home at UCSC in the Arts Division, and is looking forward to helping other students find a community here too!

Annette Mathew is a 3rd year Computer Science: Game Design major. Their interests include watching/critiquing films, sketching, learning new languages, travelling and dance; currently, they’re informally studying her mother tongue, Malayalam! On campus, Annette is also the Co-Editor-In-Chief of EyeCandy Film Journal and engages in research that bridges Graphics and 3D Computer Vision. Her interests in film manifest through coursework and critiques through editing, organizing, and leading the publication of EyeCandy; She’s hoping to also move EyeCandy towards being an informal film club and space for discussion as well! As part of the FDM division of DSLB, they hope to help bridge the gap between FDM and other art divisions, celebrating the vast range of art forms that is film.