Clyde Elloso took his first class in fashion by accident; his high school mistakenly enrolled him in the wrong elective. Although he’d consciously cultivated his personal style, Elloso had never thought about designing clothes before. He stayed in the class, eventually taking a tour of West Valley College and its fashion lab. Elloso knew then that’s where he belonged. Elloso was born in the Philippines and moved to the US with his family in 2012. As a kid, he felt like he was always caught between two cultures—Asian and American. From this, he developed a mentality that would later influence his artistic perspective: doing what he wants to do and avoiding people pleasing. Now, in his second year at West Valley, he’s in a “gothic” design phase. At the beginning of his career, Elloso is excited to explore a wide range of aesthetics in his work.

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Natalie Pineda learns something from each character she plays. Acting has helped develop her confidence as she embodies different roles. As a child, Pineda always wanted to act, but her parents couldn’t afford community theater, and her high school didn’t have a drama program. She later became a nursing major at West Valley College, but fell behind during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, in the spring of 2021, she attended the school’s production of Into the Woods. The show changed her whole perspective—she decided to change her major to theater. She enrolled in her first acting class for the fall semester and auditioned for her first role a year later. Since then, she’s performed in seven shows with the school and has taken all the acting classes West Valley has to offer. She’s hoping to transfer to UC Santa Barbara to continue her theater major in the fall. 

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Griffin Hennessy told himself that if he was ever injured skateboarding, he’d pivot to painting. After he broke his leg skateboarding two years ago, Hennessy decided to enroll in West Valley College’s studio art program. Years earlier, Hennessy studied business at West Valley and later moved to Washington. While working in sales, he also painted. He realized he didn’t see a future for himself in sales, and his injury further catapulted him into majoring in studio art. He’s now finished his degree at West Valley and hopes to transfer to UC Santa Cruz. Hennessy attributes parts of his surrealist style to his love of bold and wacky visuals from skating subculture. He works as a painter, illustrator, and sculptor, and says his process is materials-focused. The constraints of his materials and space help him conceptualize the direction for his work.

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More than just being a student who is passionate about music, Joel Hangai is dedicated to helping others. Growing up, Hangai learned any instrument he could get his hands on. He put in many hours of work every day to become a more knowledgeable and capable instrumentalist. When he was unsure of where to go with his talents, West Valley College asked him to become a peer tutor for music majors. He fell in love with sharing his passion with others. Hangai has since delved into music education, teaching all types of students across the Bay Area. He hopes to one day become a music professor. No matter what, he will always find a way to keep music a part of his life.

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Shraddha Karalkar was raised in India’s colorful and creative environment, a country of rich culture, wellness, and spiritual wisdom that shaped her views on critical thinking and aesthetics. Immigrating to the United States after earning multiple degrees in pharmaceutical science was challenging. In the fall of 2021, she enrolled at West Valley College. She was drawn to the thoughtful design of creative spaces after noticing how design elements could impact the moods and actions of others. Her interior design courses fueled her passion and led her to become a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Associate. 

Since then, she has won multiple student design competitions held by the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and received a Design Excellence Award from the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). Shraddha is continuing her journey towards excellence in the field of interior design. 

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Joshua Cruz began his journey in fashion with a high school graphic design course, where he made designs for classmates. He was motivated by creating cool things and the hope that his work could inspire others to create and share artwork of their own.

Born and raised in Mexico, Cruz is inspired by his childhood. He experienced the realities of growing up in a poor and dangerous neighborhood, surrounded by graffiti, dirty sidewalks, walls with bullet holes, and cartel members on the corner. Cruz uses that imagery as inspiration and hopes to show the beauty behind what could be viewed as chaos. His fashion designs include a variety silhouettes, textures, and fabrics to represent a multitude of lives—lives which may seem unbearable to some. His goal is to mix art and fashion to create a combination that inspires others.

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