Summer — 2005

Hayley Quentin

Art

“I think the Art department at SMC is really fantastic. That’s because all teachers there are artists themselves, and they work to help you find your own ‘voice’ and style.”

“I’ve got two brothers who also go to school here,” says Hayley Quentin of what is a distinctly ‘family affair’ at SMC. “And one of my brothers had Drawing classes with Steve Anaya and said he was a really cool teacher. And then when I was talking with Steve one day about transferring to Otis,” she continues, “he said, ‘Oh yeah. I’ll have to talk with Nathan Ota about you.’ So I studied Life Drawing with Nathan this winter, and he was just fantastic. I mean, really good. And he also teaches at Otis, so I was like, ‘Yaaay!’ ”

But Hayley points out that the above scenario is not untypical of events at SMC. “All the teachers here can really help you to transfer to the school you choose, because they know the people there,” she says. But for now, Hayley reports that being alive and fully engaged at SMC keeps her at the top of her game. “I really love the environment here because I absolutely disliked high school. Now I feel a much greater sense of freedom, but also one of much more responsibility. I get recognition here, I feel more like an equal, and I’m always comfortable when I walk onto the campus.” But beyond the classroom and her own passionate experiences with art, Hayley reports that it’s the actual life unfolding at SMC that’s perhaps its greatest asset.

“This school is just an amazingly diverse place, and every day that you get to walk around here, you’re aware of how fantastic it is to live in Los Angeles. If I was in any other part of the country, I know I’d miss that feeling,” she says. When last spotted, Hayley was making her way—on crutches—with her friend Vanessa Walton, who was lugging both of their enormous art portfolios, while Hayley hobbled towards her next class. And that—at the heart of it—is what SMC is about. When you have something to struggle with, you’ll always find someone at SMC to help you on your way.

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