The Future Begins Here: the 2020 Graduation Issue
At Santa Monica College, every dream and every journey matters – as the stories of these five inspirational 2020 SMC graduates demonstrate. We celebrate them and the thousands more who graduated this year, giving us all hope for a brighter future shaped by their tenacity and artistry.
Artist’s Journey
Curator and artist Kiko Thomas’s work illustrates the ravages of imperialism and the depths of human behavior. LACMA selected this talented SMC student for its prestigious Mellon Curatorial Fellowship.
True Grit
Maria Vasquez has been in a wheelchair all her life – but that did not stop her from being the first in her family to attend college. This SMC grad is “just like the rest of us, only five times better.”
Longing for—and Finding—a Black College Experience
Quenarii Lampkin ’20 always wanted to go to a HBCU. She would find that experience and family at SMC through the Black Collegians Umoja Community – and Quenarii, in spite of obstacles or no, soared.
Engineering Her Future
A child of immigrants from Mexico, Daniela Davalos is building a bright future in STEM with perseverance and “an optimistic attitude that is contagious.”
Bragging Rights
A dance instructor featured in “Penny Dreadful.” A Baha’i club at SMC. Earth Week still a success.
A Modern-day Renaissance Woman
This “dreamer and doer” and new grad rediscovered her passion for art and found her destiny at SMC. Teresa Raschilla, SMC to UC Irvine transfer, is a true renaissance woman.