College of Liberal & Creative Arts

Birdy Wei-Ting Hung (MFA, ’24) wins the Oscar

 

SFSU alum Birdy Wei-Ting Hung won gold in the Alternative/Experimental category of the Student Academy Awards competition for her thesis film, “A Brighter Summer Day for the Lady Avengers.”

Birdy's acceptance speech at the Awards ceremony included a shout-out to SFSU, where, as an MFA student, she was awarded the Jennifer Hammett Endowed Scholarship in Cinema. 

In memory of Associate Professor of Cinema Jennifer Hammett, the scholarship aids promising graduate students in the School of Cinema who have demonstrated teaching excellence as a graduate teaching assistant. The late Professor Hammett was a scholar of American and international film theory, history, and analysis. Her devotion to excellent teaching was legendary among students and colleagues across the University.

Before coming to SFSU for her MFA, Birdy had seven years’ experience in independent filmmaking, having written, directed, and edited more than 30 projects, including documentary, music videos, fiction and experimental shorts.

Birdy believes that film production and cinema studies should work hand-in-hand. As a graduate student instructor during her MFA, she wrote to the donors of the Hammett Scholarship: 

“My humble goal as an educator is to assist students developing the skills to be self-learners, collaborative filmmakers, and active agents in their own achievements. By awarding me the Jennifer Hammett Endowed Scholarship, you have not only lightened my financial burden but motivated me to keep connecting the two disciplines in my teaching: incorporate theory-based instruction with production practices.”

The Student Academy Awards competition received a total of 2,683 entries from 738 colleges and universities worldwide. All Student Academy Award-winning films are eligible to compete for the Oscars in the Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film or Documentary Short Film category. Past winners have gone on to receive 67 Oscar nominations and have won or shared 15 awards.

See the Oscars press release here.

 

“A Brighter Summer Day for the Lady Avengers” has also been awarded or nominated for the following:

  • San Francisco International Film Festival
    • 2025 Winner: Golden Gate Award for Bay Area Short Film
  • Golden Harvest Awards for Outstanding Short Films
    • 2025 Nominee: Golden Harvest Award for Best Experimental Short Film
  • Slamdance Film Festival
    • 2025 Nominee: Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Short
  • Torino Film Festival
    • 2024 Nominee: Prize of the City of Torino for Best Short Film

 

Birdy Wei-Ting Hung

Birdy Wei-Ting Hung (MFA, ’24) accepts her trophy at the ceremony in London

2024 Oscar STUDENT ACADEMY AWARDS - Birdy Wei-Ting Hung

Birdy and fellow awardees

Watch this short video that the School of Cinema made to highlight Birdy's success.

Watch the 2024 Student Academy Award Ceremony. At 20:02 Birdy talks about her film and 31:06 she gives her acceptance speech.

Donate to the College of Liberal & Creative Arts

For more information about donating to the College of Liberal & Creative Arts, contact:

Soo Kim

Senior Director of Development (Creative Arts)

soo.kim@sfsu.edu

(415) 338-7113

Read more about Soo

Facing the Music: Scholarship Awardees Ailing Zhao and Zheng (Audrey) Ma

Student photographers capture the stories behind the music by putting Gator performers in front of the lens

In the SF State course “Journalism 435: Studio Lighting and Business,” Lecturer Scot Tucker teaches his students editorial photography and professional practices. The goal: giving budding shutterbugs the skills they’d need to launch and sustain careers as photojournalists and studio photographers. As part of their classwork in the fall, Tucker’s 14 students set out to create portraits of Gators who’ve dedicated themselves to a different artform — music. 

The student photographers blended editorial photography with storytelling. The project highlighted a diverse range of campus musicians — from punk bands to classical instrumentalists — showcasing the University’s vibrant creative community. Two of the musicians featured in the project, Ailing Zhao and Zheng (Audrey) Ma, are awardees of donor-funded scholarships. Learn more about Ailing and Audrey below, and see the full photography project here.

 

Ailing Zhao

Photo by Michaela Mateo

Ailing Zhao is a fourth-year piano student in the School of Music. She has been a musician since she was 5 years old and is now a music teacher while working toward her B.A. at SF State. She has been teaching for 16 years — 10 years in China and six years in the U.S.

Ailing is a recipient of the William Corbett Jones Piano Scholarship. She hopes to become a college professor in the future. She recently gave birth to her first baby, and had to stop teaching for 5 months due to pregnancy complications. The scholarship enables Ailing to pay her tuition, buy books, and pay for child-related expenses so she can continue her studies.

Ailing says:

“Now I can focus more on my studies and have less pressure. Receiving this scholarship will allow me to continue chasing my dreams.”

 

 

 

Zheng (Audrey) Ma first became fascinated by the piano when she heard a neighbor playing when she was a child. Because she would stand outside and listen whenever the neighbor practiced, her mother spent all her savings to buy Audrey a piano of her own. “I am doing what I love every day because of my mother,” she says. “Even though she is no longer here, each time I play I feel like I am connecting with her.”

Audrey is a recipient of the Pone Scholarship. She hopes to pursue a professional piano teaching career, and says:

“This award provides me with the chance to develop skills that will benefit the music program at San Francisco State University and extend beyond it. I am deeply committed to my education and our Music program, and I am now one step closer to becoming a great pianist.”

 

Zheng (Audrey) Ma

Photo by Colin Flynn

Donate to the College of Liberal & Creative Arts

For more information about donating to the College of Liberal & Creative Arts, contact:

Soo Kim

Senior Director of Development (Creative Arts)

soo.kim@sfsu.edu

(415) 338-7113

Read more about Soo

Scholarship awardees amongst the outstanding graduates honored at 2024 Commencement

Four of the graduates were awardees of donor-funded scholarships while studying at San Francisco State University

A dozen outstanding graduates were honored during San Francisco State University’s 123rd Commencement ceremony, held at Oracle Park on May 24. They represented their more than 7,300 graduating peers in the Class of 2024.

As part of a longstanding tradition, each of the University’s six academic colleges selected an undergraduate and a graduate student to represent their classmates and wear their college’s academic hood during the ceremony. Additionally, two of the hood recipients, one undergraduate and one graduate student, delivered a Commencement address. Four of the students were awardees of donor-funded scholarships while studying at San Francisco State University: Jazz Monique Hudson, Zen Lewis, Su Ilayada Ozcan, and Monique Scott. Click on each of the students' names below to learn more about them.

Jazz Hudson - student

Jazz Monique Hudson

Zen Lewis - student

Zen Lewis

Su Ilayada Ozcan - student

Su Ilayada Ozcan

Monique Scott - student

Monique Scott

Jazz Monique Hudson: Undergraduate Hood Recipient

B.A., Africana Studies
College of Ethnic Studies

Jazz Monique Hudson, an Oakland native with over 15 years of expertise in youth development, educational arts, social justice and organizational change, epitomizes resilience and commitment to societal transformation. Despite the challenges she faced early in her life as a former foster youth and teenage mother, Hudson has overcome them and is now dedicating her life to being an advocate, artist and educator.

For example, Hudson was involved with organizations like the National Black Women’s Justice Institute, Black Youth Project 100 (where she was a founding member) and the Guardian Scholars Program. She was also a program director and founding member of the EMERGE Reentry Program, which focuses on supporting young women of color reintegrating into society after incarceration and academic pushout. Additionally, Hudson was a victim advocate for the San Francisco District Attorney and has had residencies, workshops and performances at universities like UC Berkeley and Princeton.

While studying at SF State, Jazz was awarded the Sylvan and Donna Kline Guardian Scholars Memorial Scholarship, a named scholarship to honor the memory of Joanne Rae Kline, the daughter of Sylvan and Donna Kline, who empowered others through her advocacy of education. The endowed scholarship strengthens and permanently supports SF State’s Guardian Scholars Program, which empowers college students who are transitioning out of the foster care system.

Serendipitously, her son’s 17th birthday coincides with the SF State 2024 Commencement, which Hudson says is a reminder of the strength and resilience found in the journey of motherhood. After graduation, she plans to pursue SF State’s Pre-Health Professions Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program, which will help her take the next step toward pursuing a career in health care as an osteopathic doctor specializing in allergy and immunology.

Zen Lewis: Undergraduate Hood Recipient

B.A., International Relations/Political Science
College of Liberal & Creative Arts

In 2019, Zen Lewis’ journey to SF State began with her emigration from Serbia with the vision of achieving the American dream. As an 18-year-old in a new country with no financial support, she faced daunting challenges with housing and food insecurity, while attempting to find full-time employment with limited English fluency and work experience.

Today, Lewis is graduating with a double major in International Relations and Political Science with the highest honors, accompanied by Sigma Iota Rho and Pi Sigma Alpha societal honors. She represents the will and determination of young immigrant women who hail from war-torn nations to forge a new path, both for themselves and their home countries, so that those wars never occur again.

Lewis is a force of nature who speaks three languages, works full time in the wedding industry and serves as managing editor of the International Relations Journal. While earning the Migration and Refugee Studies certificate, she has demonstrated an exemplary work ethic, enthusiasm for global politics and resilience in the face of obstacles.

As president of the International Relations Student Association, Lewis has been a driving force, encouraging her fellow students and others in her community to get involved in domestic and international politics. She has represented SF State at Model United Nations and Model European Union conferences, where she received the Outstanding Head of Government Award. 

Lewis won the David Jenkins Scholarship for Political Activism for her impactful advocacy of student rights in a political uprising. She used her senior thesis to expand the discussion and analysis of new regime changes, using Serbia as a case study. Off campus, she has organized pop-up events for local artists and fundraisers for nonprofits.

After graduation, Lewis plans to seek a full-time position in San Francisco municipal government and pursue a law degree.

Su Ilayada Ozcan: Graduate Hood Recipient

M.S., Chemistry (Biochemistry)
College of Science & Engineering

Su Ozcan wants to develop new treatments without side effects. It’s a passion that stems from her early exposure to her grandfather’s battle with cancer. As an undergraduate in Turkey, she explored innovative therapies and gained two years of professional experience working with pharmaceutical companies. With women being relegated to the background and the value placed on science decreasing in her country, Ozcan decided to leave Turkey and pursue her academic goals in the United States.

As an international student at SF State, Ozcan focused on groundbreaking research in enzymology and medicinal chemistry to develop a novel side effect-free treatment for tuberculosis. She published these discoveries in scientific journals. She demonstrated her commitment to making a positive impact beyond the lab by serving as a teaching associate for two years. Accolades for her academic performance and commitment to science include the Henry Bertin Jr. Scholarship, the Agents of Change Build Merck Scholarship, the Bill Plachy TA (teaching assistant) Award and the CSU Trustees Award.

After SF State, Ozcan’s next step is to begin a Chemistry Ph.D. program at the University of Southern California, where she’s already been offered a graduate fellowship. Looking ahead, Ozcan is excited to continue her quest to develop new therapeutics and treatment strategies that will make an impact. She is eager to translate her academic research into practical applications and hopes to eventually establish a pharmaceutical company. Beyond medicine, she aspires to continue being a teacher and create educational opportunities for underprivileged children. She also hopes to provide financial and moral support for others, especially women in science.

Monique Scott: Graduate Hood Recipient

MPH
College of Health & Social Sciences

Monique Scott decided to pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree at SF State after seeing structural and systemic health disparities affect her community. She began her career as a social worker, caregiver and care coordinator, assisting people navigating governmental and nonprofit assistance programs and managing medical conditions.

During the pandemic, she became a resource navigator and case manager for individuals exposed to COVID-19. Seeing how disparities impacted marginalized residents, she wanted to make a larger impact. She became interested in the social determinants of health and how prevention programs could more effectively help communities. 

At SF State, she explored her passion for research with the Health Equity Institute. Her assessment of participation of food establishments in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP) in urban university settings significantly influenced a statewide campaign to enhance access to SNAP benefits at CSU campuses.

She also published research on navigating nutrition inequities among pregnant and postpartum mothers and children in BIPOC communities. The Oakland native’s projects also included studies on how urban agriculture can use mutual aid practices and how built environment contributes to the adverse health outcomes of environmental injustices.

While at SF State, she was a Climate Action Fellow, a Graduate Equity Fellow and a President’s Leadership Fellow. She was also awarded the Vincent Costantino University Scholarship. She authored, published and presented her research at multiple local and national conferences. She also participated in the University’s Earth Week 2024.

After graduation, she will continue learning and applying her skills in research, writing and coordination to address health equity in the Bay Area. She plans to continue participating in strategies for community and policy-level interventions for marginalized communities of color. She is grateful for the SF State connections that contributed to her accomplishments.

Learn more about supporting SF State scholarships

Anthropology professor establishes student scholarships with donations to SF State

Dawn-Elissa Fischer creates awards in honor of scholar Marcyliena Morgan, civil rights attorney Walter P. Riley

Extending an academic family tree to today’s students and future generations, a professor at San Francisco State University has created two scholarships for students.  

With two generous donations to San Francisco State, Anthropology professor Dawn-Elissa Fischer has established the Marcyliena Morgan Scholarship and the Walter P. Riley Radical Change Scholarship. Both awards are eligible exclusively to SF State students. 

Fischer created the awards to respectively honor Morgan, a Harvard University professor and renowned scholar of hip-hop, and Riley, an Oakland civil rights attorney and activist. Both Morgan and Riley have fought injustices and opened doors with global impact. 

“Dr. Marcyliena Morgan and Walter Riley are revolutionaries in their own distinct ways,” Fischer said. “Their steadfast efforts have brought about widespread recognition for activists and hip-hop artists as organic intellectuals with integrity.”

With both awards, students will gain opportunities to meet mentors, join professional networks and establish their own. As a faculty member, Fischer says that mentorship is critical to engender success in students, particularly those from underrepresented groups without equitable access to professional networks. She learned the value of networking from mentors like Morgan, but also through her personal academic family tree: Fischer’s parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were all educators. 

“There are so many layers and roles that faculty play in helping students build scholarly community,” Fischer said. “In my family, it comes from a Historically Black College and University tradition, and it recognizes structural factors that often block access for talented individuals to plug into success networks,” Fischer added. “And when that happens, society loses.” 

Marcyliena Morgan Scholarship 

The Marcyliena Morgan Scholarship provides stipends for activities related to student professional development, such as travel, lodging and conference fees. These experiences enhance students’ knowledge, but perhaps even more importantly, also allow them to build their own professional networks.  

At Harvard, Morgan is the Ernest E. Monrad Professor of the Social Sciences, a professor in the Department of African and African American Studies and the executive director of the Hiphop Archive and Research Institute. Her books include “Language, Power and Discourse in African American Culture,” “Speech Communities: Key Topics in Linguistic Anthropology” and “The Real Hiphop: Battling for Knowledge, Power and Respect in LA’s Underground.” 

In December, Fischer was among the invited presenters at a tribute to Morgan at Harvard, alongside other notable mentees in academia. Fischer’s presentation makes note that Morgan’s multigenerational, worldwide impact has reached SF State: Fischer has worked with Morgan at the institute, directing special programs and collections for two decades and — along the way — connecting SF State students with Harvard fellowships.

Marcyliena Morgan

Marcyliena Morgan. Photo by Melissa Blackall/Courtesy of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research.

Walter P. Riley Radical Change Scholarship 

The Walter P. Riley Radical Change Scholarship honors students committed to pursuing radical social change through community involvement.  

An activist since high school in the Jim Crow South, Riley attended SF State in the 1960s and became involved in Students for a Democratic Society, Black Students for Open Admissions and the student strike for Black and ethnic studies. His work is centered around labor, education, housing access, anti-apartheid, anti-war, police misconduct, voter registration and cultural issues. He has worked with the Black Panther Party and in grassroots efforts to prevent urban displacement of Black and other working-class communities. Riley’s numerous recognitions include the 2015 Law for the People Award from the National Lawyers Guild.

Walter Riley

Walter P. Riley

Learn more about supporting SF State scholarships.

 

For more information about donating to the College of Liberal & Creative Arts, contact
Anjali Billa, Associate Vice President of University Development, at anjalibilla@sfsu.edu

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