When senior Film student, Jazmine Noguera (Porter ’25, film and digital media), first applied to UC Santa Cruz she was waitlisted, and planning on attending another university. But once she was officially accepted she made it her job to participate on campus and build her community. “After doing some research, I found out they had this Filipino organization called by Bayanihan, and then I knew,” says Noguera.
Bayanihan is one of the many groups Noguera is affiliated with along with Alay and the Asian Pacific Islander Student Alliance (APISA) where she is one of the media outreach representatives. “I think just the most important thing is my organizations on campus,” she says. “Finding that community amongst other creative students of color is really what boosted my confidence in studying film here, and it’s what’s kept me here and has made me happy to be going to UCSC.”
Noguera first became interested in filmmaking as a child when she and her little sister would make YouTube videos using Littlest Pet Shop toys. “We would just make music videos all the time when I was about eight, and they were about five,” says Noguera. Their sister now also studies cinema at San Francisco State University. The pair grew up in San Jose, and Noguera plans to stay in the Bay Area after she graduates in spring.
Attending UCSC has given Noguera the tools and resources to grow her filmmaking talents. After taking a stop-motion class last year, she decided to take more animation classes this year. Noguera is also taking a sound class for the first time.
Along with her in-class opportunities, Noguera participated in Dean Celine’s new film, So to Speak. Noguera acted in the film playing the role of a student and worked as a behind the scenes photography PA.
“It was really cool to meet everyone,” she says. “The cast and crew was mostly Asian American as well, so that was very special.”
Her work on the film also landed her a job working for Dean Celine. Noguera spends most of her time on the job researching and reaching out to film festivals to try to get the movie out into the world.
“It’s just great all the time,” says Noguera of working with Dean Celine. “She always has such great insight to offer on the filmmaking process or the behind the scenes work, and I feel like I’ve just been learning a lot from her.”
When Noguera is not busy with filmmaking or on-campus organizations she has a slew of other interests including drawing, graphic design, and ballroom dancing. Her love for graphic design plays into her interest in marketing for movies. Thinking about what she will do once she graduates, Noguera is considering applying to jobs in graphic design in marketing, along with pursuing career options in film.
With only one year left, Noguera is nervous about graduating but excited for the coming year. She takes with her cherished memories like last year’s unity showcase, which brought together diverse organizations on campus, where Noguera and one of her organizations coordinated Filipino food for the event. But there are still many memories left to be made.