Matias Loyola sings “Tristezza” by Francesco Paolo Tosti
Accompanied by Ethan Kokkelenberg on piano
The Angels for the Arts organization at Saddleback College presented scholarship awards in the amount of $1000 each to 24 students in the Arts at Saddleback College on Wednesday, May 7th.
Following a festive dessert reception in the Fine Arts courtyard, a ceremony and performances were presented to family, friends, faculty, and community members in the McKinney Theatre.
Dean Bart McHenry addressed the audience and introduced Board President Barbara Kroe and Committee Chair Ron Stenson.
Each recipient received their check and a packet of certificates of recognition from local elected officials from Director of Audience Development David Anderson.
Dean McHenry presided over the ceremony introducing each recipient, who performed, presented or discussed their particular medium.
“What a pleasure it was to honor this year’s Angels for the Arts scholarship recipients. I was pleased that the Angels were able to double their efforts this year benefitting so many talented students.
was an inspiring evening watching the students perform and speak about their craft.” Dean of Fine Arts & MediaTechnology Bart McHenry.
About the recipients:
JANELLE “ELLE” GRANT (Theatre Arts)
“Elle has worked diligently and with great willingness and honesty in class. She has demonstrated a high level of commitment to growth in the work. She is always interesting to watch when she works and has a lovely sense of ease and confidence that will serve her well in the profession and in life.” William Francis McGuire, Head of Performance, Theatre Arts
ABIGAIL SCHWARTZ (Theatre Arts)
“I truly believe Abigail will not just succeed, she will excel in whatever program she attends. She has a lot to offer and a work ethic to bring it to fruition. Her talent will allow her to soar.” William Francis McGuire, Head of Performance, Theatre Arts
LEONARDO MORADI (Theatre Arts)
“Leonardo has impressed me with his professionalism, talent, and his unique abilities as a performer. He is a wonderfully kind student and a focused performer who I believe has great potential to parlay his talents into a professional career.” Scott Farthing DMA, Music Department
LAUREN GRAHAM (Theatre Arts)
“Lauren has a beautiful voice, diligent work ethic, fantastic discipline and has the ability to work professionally in any situation.” Scott Farthing, DMA, Department of Music
JENNIFER WATERS (Visual Arts)
“Jennifer is the rare kind of student that takes assignments as opportunities to make great personal work which both fulfills the requirements of the assignment, and builds a consistent creative voice that shows her maturity as an artist.” John Reese, Art Department
SHAGHAYEGH KHEZRI (Visual Arts)
“Beyond being a committed and talented student Sha is kind and caring. She is always willing to help her fellow classmate with gentle helpful suggestions or with lending art supplies.” Veronica Obermeyer, Chair Art Department
ALIZA BEJARANO (Visual Arts)
“Aliza is a kind, caring, and sincere individual. She has proven herself to be extremely hard-working and dedicated to the study of art.” Veronica Obermeyer, Chair, Art Department
HYUNSOO KIM (Visual Arts)
“Hyunsoo consistently produced high quality work that inspired and elevated the goals of the entire class.” Erin O’Shea, Art Department Faculty
JENNIFER DANIELLA SANTOSO (Speech)
“I consider Jennifer Santosa to be one of the most motivated, hard-working, and ambitious students I have had the pleasure to know.” Monika Connolly, MA, International Student Program Specialist, Saddleback College
ARIANA ESPINOZA (Music)
“Ariana is one of the department’s most talented students and one who is actively involved in all aspects of our music program. She is an excellent pianist, one of the most talented and accomplished pianists in our program. Ariana is a wonderfully expressive musician. She is actively involved in many of our public performances, and she always plays with instinctive musicality and good technical ability.” Norman Weston, Chair, Music Department
NATALIE CERVANTES (Music)
“Natalie has great musicality and has set high standards for her studies. She is also the nicest person to work with. All the other students have only great things to say about her.” Yorgos Kouritas, Director of Instrumental Studies, Music Department
HESAMODDIN ABEDINNEJAD (Music)
“It is as a teacher that Sam truly excels. Sam is the first music theory tutor that we have had Saddleback College, at least in the past 25 years, and his work has proven invaluable. To say that he is popular and successful is an understatement. I have heard nothing but positive (glowing, actually) feedback from the students who made use of his time.” Norman Weston, Chair, Music Department
NILOUFAR GAZEROUNSHIRI (Music)
“Niloufar is a very talented musician and a bright and hard-working student. As a performer, Niloufar is a truly unique presence. Not only is she in complete mastery of both her instrument and the musical language, but the intensity, authority and integrity with which she plays is striking. You find yourself drawn into her sound world.” Norman Weston, Chair, Music Department
ETHAN KOKKELENBERG (Music)
“Ethan is a very good and dedicated student with wonderful achievements in his technique and musicianship. He plays with great energy, big climaxes, yet with contrasts in gentle spots and a nice touch. He has a good understanding of various music periods and styles.” Kirill Gliadkovsky, DMA, Concert Pianist and Organis, Music Department
MATIAS LOYOLA (Music)
“Matias is a dedicated student, who plays piano and also sings. He plays with energy, musicality and nicely honed phrasing. He has a good understanding of various musical periods and styles and is passionate about music.” Kirill Gliadkovsky, DMA, Concert Pianist and Organist, Music Department
LUCAS REEDER (Music)
“As an extremely diligent student of jazz music, Mr. Reeder has been involved in every facet of the Music Department and has grown tremendously even from the high level at which he entered the program. He is highly respected by his student colleagues and faculty and commands respect without being overbearing. He is excellent when working with students who are less talented than him, showing great patience and a natural ability as a teacher.” Joey Sellers, Director Jazz Studies, Music Department
BENJAMIN ELLIOTT (Music)
“Benjamin plays in our combos and this semester in the Jazz Lab Ensemble. He has improved significantly and is very involved in many aspects of the music department and is keenly interested in composition. He has a keen interest in learning and is very persistent in his practice.” Joey Sellers, Director, Jazz Studies
DENHAM LEFTWICH (Cinema-Television-Radio)
“As a student, Denham demonstrated a love of learning and the level of commitment necessary to succeed in college and beyond. Not only is Denham an excellent student, he is also a talented actor and hip hop/rap artist. During the past three years, he’s been combining these two talents in music videos. ” Charlie Myers, CTVR
ALEC NEWBOLES (Cinema-Television-Radio)
“First and foremost, I would like to mention that Alec has excelled tremendously as a student as well as a filmmaker since he took his first class with me. I do not hesitate to state that he belongs in the top five percent of the students I have taught.” Hiro Konishi, Co-Chair, CTVR
JUSTIN MAESTAS (Cinema-Television-Radio)
“Justin’s energy and passion are obvious to anyone who has met him, and he has not only set an example but also a high standard for the students who will follow him (and he has already begun to recruit them, too). He is a quick and enthusiastic learner and is willing to take on responsibilities just to further his experience.” Terry Wedel, Director KSBR-FM/ SCTV-39
KIMBERLY JOYCE (Dance)
“Kimberly dances with her heart and soul, and brings such life and energy to the slightest movement- she works at full capacity in every rehearsal and class, coming in with a smile and enthusiasm, ready to learn.” Deidre Cavazzi, Assistant Professor of Dance,
GABRIEL MASRI (Dance)
“Gabriel is insightful, creative and very intelligent. Like a true artist, he uses music, dance and art as an inspiration to solve problems in both his academic and personal situations.” Marji Himes, Dance Department
ASHLEY DAVID (Dance)
“Ashley is as fine an individual as they come. I have had hundreds of students throughout these past 30 years that I have been teaching, and Ashley is just one of the most beautiful students inside and out that I have had the privilege to teach.” Sharon Rest Haas, Dance Instructor
ALENA MIKULA (Dance)
“I have been impressed with Alena’s work ethic, commitment, enthusiasm, kindness, and interest in exploring more in the field of dance.” Deidre Cavazzi, Assistant Professor of Dance
The Angels for the Arts is a fundraising and support organization for the Performing and Visual Arts at Saddleback College. Angel members donate their time and talent to raise funds and assist with a variety of arts events on the campus.
The group is led by a volunteer advisory board of directors. Angel members believe in the importance of offering a full spectrum of arts to the community, with the college as the focal point.
These events bring together Orange County residents from all walks of life, for the purpose of enlightenment, entertainment, and inspiration.
The Angels also provide support for scholarships for students in Visual & Performing Arts, MainStage Kids Productions, master classes with professional artists, hospitality for guest artist performers and crew, enhancements for arts patrons, such as the tram, and the annual Big Band Swing Thing fundraiser.
Located in Mission Viejo, Saddleback College provides quality higher education and training to the greater south Orange County community.
Having served more than 500,000 students since 1968, Saddleback College offers over 300 degree and certificate programs to help students reach their personal, career, and educational goals.
For more information, please visit www.saddleback.edu and for Fine Arts information, please visit www.saddleback.edu/arts.
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Nina Welch
Fine Arts Public Information Officer
Saddleback College
28000 Marguerite Parkway
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
