A student film about the 1968 UCSB protest event known as the North Hall Takeover screened recently at the university’s Multicultural Centre Theatre. The film was created by two undergraduate students, one majoring in History and one minoring in Professional Writing.
Katelyn Mihalko, a double major in Film & Media Studies and Sociology at UC Santa Barbara, recently earned the title of “Intern of the Year” at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival—all while juggling classes, campus jobs, and film projects. With a deep passion for storytelling and a salami sandwich in hand, she’s carving her own path behind the camera.
At a recent UCSB lecture hosted by the Walter H. Capps Center, professor Lloyd Barba traced the history and ongoing relevance of the U.S. Sanctuary Movement, describing it as a sacred form of resistance rooted in religious tradition and moral duty to “welcome the stranger.” As immigration crackdowns intensify under Trump’s renewed presidency, faith-based communities—including those in Santa Barbara —are preparing to once again offer refuge and protection to vulnerable immigrants.
UCSB’s 2025 Raab Writing Fellowship Showcase featured student writing projects that blended personal storytelling with broader social themes. From poetry to investigative multimedia, the event highlighted a year of independent writing and mentorship.
Jolie Pierre-Louis, a fourth-year Sociology major and Civic Engagement Writing Minor at UC Santa Barbara, was awarded a $1,000 scholarship given annually to first-generation students in the Professional Writing Minor. In a video interview, she reflects on how her background and writing education have empowered her to advocate for low-income communities and pursue meaningful change.
Leah Grossman, an award-winning screenwriter and graduating UCSB student, has turned a childhood passion for storytelling into a promising career in film. Her character-driven work, including the surreal short Hollow, has earned festival recognition and a fellowship that now propels her to the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
The Santa Barbara Chinese School was established in 1985 and has been hosted in a few different spaces over the years. It was held at UCSB in the early 2000s and moved over to the Chinese Evangelical Free Church of Santa Barbara in the 2010s. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a transition into exclusively online lessons. Now, the Chinese School is back at UCSB in partnership with the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies.
After a transformative backpacking trip during the pandemic, UCSB alum Malakai Isaacs shifted from environmental science to filmmaking, discovering a passion for nature-based, underwater, and adventure storytelling. Now a freelance filmmaker, Isaacs credits UCSB’s production courses—particularly the Coastal Media Project—for equipping him with the skills he continues to use in his documentary and commercial work.
In Edo-period Japan, a growing number of women embarked on long pilgrimages after retiring from household duties — journeys that offered not just spiritual fulfillment, but personal freedom. UC Santa Barbara graduate student Erin Trumble explores how these women used travel and writing to reclaim a sense of identity beyond domestic life.
At the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center’s Faculty Fellows showcase, three UCSB professors presented research that shatters conventional historical narratives. Their work focuses on urgent contemporary questions about power, resistance and the gap between official stories and hidden realities.
At a UCSB Carsey-Wolf Center screening of the documentary Sugarcane, UC Santa Cruz professor Caitlin Keliia emphasized the power of film in preserving the violent histories of Indigenous children who were taken from their families and forced into labor and abuse at residential schools. Drawing from her own research on Native women in domestic labor, Keliia highlighted how remembering these stories through media and discussion is essential for truth, accountability, and healing.
The Carsey-Wolf Center at UC Santa Barbara hosted a screening and panel called Panic!: Social Studies, about a new docuseries by Lauren Greenfield that explores the impact of social media on teens’ mental health, identity, and activism. Featuring candid stories from diverse youth, the series invites critical reflection on how corporate algorithms shape the digital lives of a generation.
Earlier this month, 2025-26 postdoctoral fellow at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, Adam McNeil gave a talk hosted by UCSB History on the importance of podcasting for the study of Black life. McNeil, from Rutgers University, has interviewed over 110 intellectual scholars about their field of study and believes his work as an African American podcast host is changing the world.
Gabriela Smith, a Sacramento native and 2024 UC Santa Barbara Dance alum, is now dancing professionally with the City Ballet of San Diego, having recently performed in Carmen and Divertimento. In an interview, she reflects on how her training at UCSB—particularly under former New York City Ballet dancers—deepened her artistry and versatility, ultimately helping her earn her first professional contract and shaping her career path in ballet.
At a recent talk, Classics scholar Brett M. Rogers from the University of Puget Sound visited UC Santa Barbara to discuss the seemingly impossible link between Homer’s epic poemThe Odyssey and artificial intelligence. The event was hosted by UCSB’s Interdisciplinary Humanities Center.
UCSB film lecturer Wendy Jackson brings her industry expertise and passion for storytelling to the screen with Facing the Falls, a documentary short about one woman’s courageous journey through the Grand Canyon while battling a rare muscle disease. Balancing her roles as a producer and educator, Jackson uses the film to highlight themes of resilience, accessibility, and the transformative power of perseverance.
As concerns over journalistic freedom and erasure of history grow under the Trump administration, a UC Santa Barbara panel warned that cuts to public broadcasting and higher education threaten the preservation of truth for future generations. Emphasizing the urgent need for digital documentation, panelists highlighted how archives and accessible historical records are vital tools for resisting propaganda, preserving marginalized histories, and empowering communities to challenge injustice.
Natalie Riley is a third-year UCSB student majoring in English. The Catalyst is a creative writing and visual art class, as well as one of UCSB’s few literary arts magazines. The course is offered every quarter to any UCSB students who wish to join the editorial team led by an Editor-in-Chief, a a Managing Editor, Literature Editor, and an Assistant Editor. As Literature Editor, Riley promotes The Catalyst through social media, specifically Instagram, and accept outside submissions.
Big Hungry, one of Isla Vista’s most successful rising bands, began with a spontaneous connection during UCSB’s 2022 summer orientation and has since electrified local music lovers with over 60 shows and a recent festival debut at Shabang on the Central Coast of California. Lead singer Nolan Guss credits UCSB’s vibrant music scene and ethnomusicology program for inspiring his artistic journey and shaping the band’s distinctive sound.
Anthropology major Manniah Harrison reflects on her childhood love of dance—a passion she rediscovered through a UCSB Dance Department intermediate class. Dance, writes Harrison, unites mind, body and spirit and is a worthwhile elective for students of any major.
