CC Student of the Month
Luis Cornejo
Check out Luis' story of going from Mt. SAC to UC Santa Barbara this Fall!!
Tell me about your high school experience. First off, I wasn’t going to graduate because my junior year I had a “screw everything” mentality. My grades were low and my counselors kept telling me to get my grades up. Because people were telling me to do it, I didn’t want to. I kept slacking off, but then it got real because my friends were applying to schools. I talked to my English teacher and started doing extra credit work, volunteering, and taking outside classes. I ended up graduating with 30 extra credits, but I still had like 2.5 GPA so I got denied everywhere. I applied to Mt. SAC. I kind of told myself, “get it together.” So, I did.
What was Mt. SAC like? My first class I was nervous. Everyone looked so much older. I remember shutting down because I was afraid of saying something stupid. It felt like I had nothing to offer. When I found out what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be, it changed. I combined my passion for English and sewing and that’s how I came to costume design.
What has challenged you? What hindered me the most was not knowing who I was. I was just wearing a costume, but you don’t know who you are when you’re wearing a costume because you’re being someone else. It takes a lot of alone time. Follow your gut. My mom and my dad encouraged specific careers, but I knew I wasn’t meant to be a lawyer, doctor, or architect. Now my parents fully support me and I’m the happiest I’ve been in ages.
What’s next for you? I’m going to UC Santa Barbara. I want to apply to graduate school, but I want to find a job to get experience in the industry. Small goals are to get more experience and design something on my own. I want to be a professor for costuming. graduate, find a job, and maybe win an Oscar?