The West Valley College campus was buzzing all day, but around 6:30p, the atmosphere shifted. DJ John Beaver’s upbeat EDM set boomed across the valley, guiding folks from the parking lots into the Cilker School of Art and Design Grad EXPO.
Outside, food trucks lined the Northwalk. Near the entrance, 2026 San Jose Creative Ambassador Jorge “J.Duh” Camacho was pulled up in his modified U-Haul Pop-Up Box. Built as a mobile art gallery, it was created to make art viewing more accessible for and by the community. This evening’s exhibition featured a mix of art. It included works from artists in issue 18.3 “Perform,” such as a community art piece by Crossthread SJ, and hardcore show photos shot by Sherrise Sexton (on loan from 365—a visual archive of Bay Area hardcore that was on view at Vago Super). Paintings by Hargun M. Mann and welded metal sculptures by Alana Lin were also displayed.
Moving inside, Content Magazine supporters gathered for an intimate VIP reception headlined by Los Panaderos, whose performance beckoned guests to the Cilker Courtyard for food, drinks, and dancing.
As the fashion show approached, folks started making their way across campus. They took in the full spread of what was happening—from student art sales and gallery exhibitions to the live performances in the Cilker Lounge. Before hitting the grass, guests could catch Lindsey “HELLA Famous” Leong selling books on revolutionary ideology. They could also tap in with the Crossthread SJ crew. The group held it down for the community by pairing show promo with vital harm-reduction support like contraceptives and test strips. While critical theory and fentanyl test strips probably weren’t on the official college tour brochure—and may have surprised a few guests between wine refills—activations that merge and showcase community perspectives across contexts are exactly the point of Content Pick-Up Parties.
By 8p, all paths converged on the runway, the crown jewel of the night. This event celebrated the 5th year of the Cilker graduate showcase and partnership. This year’s Annual Graduating Fashion Design Student Fashion Show displayed elite growth and experimentation. For nearly an hour, models strutted the catwalk in student-designed garments that pushed boundaries. They mixed materials from latex to lace, and patterns from plaid to polka dot. The sheer diversity of the collections proved that the future of South Bay fashion is unapologetically bold.
The energy didn’t drop when the runway cleared. Immediately after, Silk Road took the stage. Fronted by sisters Alana (featured in the current Issue 18.3) and Amara Lin (featured in Spring 2024’s Issue 16.2), Silk Road rocked a heavy set of covers and originals to a lawn of listeners, leaving the audience wondering why the college doesn’t host a regular concert series on that grass.
Even as the performances wound down, the chairs were being folded, and the food trucks pulled away, guests could be seen mingling and chatting. While the EXPO has grown massively over the last five years, the core of this collaboration between Content Magazine and West Valley College remains unchanged: it is a definitive showcase of what happens when higher education, local arts, and authentic community dial into the same frequency.
Missed out on the action? Grab your copy of Issue 18.3 “Perform” and mark your calendars for our Issue 18.4 “Profiles” Pick-Up Party on Thursday, August 27, where we will bid a fond farewell to the founder and Cultivator of Content Magazine, Daniel Garcia, as he embarks on retirement.
From the blended Spanish Colonial Revival and Art Deco architecture of the historic Hotel de Anza to the bustling sounds of designers scrambling to get their looks on point, the first-ever San Jose Day Fashion Showcase was a spectacle to remember.
People move to San Francisco to be free. People move to San Jose to be innovative. No matter where you land, fashion in the Bay has always been led by personal style and the communities that live here. In planning this fashion showcase, graphic designer, Muralist, and co-director of San José Day, Jorge “J.Duh” Camacho, wanted to bring a fresh element to this annual event.
J.Duh’s industry connections in San Francisco gave him the sense that the city was disconnected from other parts of the Bay Area, but also inspired him. For San José Day, he imagined a collaboration among fashion designers from across the South Bay and beyond. The final showcase featured San Francisco Fashion Designer Nolan Kenji, San Jose Fashion Designers Henry Manolis, Ramona Rebel, SewKali, and Coldwater Collective, alongside Students from the West Valley College Cilker School of Art and Design. Through creative collaboration, J.Duh brought designers together to share ideas, coordinate, and create a rhythmic showcase for fashion lovers.
The event started with a photo walk led by San Jose Shooters, beginning at Foto Express and ending at the De Anza Hotel. The evening moved into a VIP cocktail hour that got attendees into the spirit for a spectacular show. For the main event, emcee Josue Ramirez, owner of the local vintage shop and gallery space Vago Super, kicked off the show, stating, “The real gems are by and for the people of San Jose.” Ramirez led the audience through the show, while rounds of applause and cheering filled the Hotel courtyard. The West Valley College fashion design students received a particular buzz of excitement before and after the runway show. Following the showcase was a panel discussion with Ryan Mante and Marisela Cristina Gonzales Ginestra. The conversation, moderated by Marisela, focused on designers’ views of fashion’s impact on the community.
Marisela Cristina Gonzales Ginestra, who was born and raised in San Jose, is currently a Denim Designer at Levi Strauss and co-curator at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles. In a side conversation outside the panel, she shared what it was like as an aspiring fashionista growing up in San Jose. She agreed that San Jose has two extremes–on one end, there can be scrutiny toward individuals who express their originality and personal style, where those who dress out of the norm may receive looks and judgmental comments; on the other end, there is a desire to turn each look into a statement, where creative expression is fueled by that same tension.
Henry Manolis
Designer, Henry Manolis responded to the prompt by saying, “San Jose is a boiling pot of diversity, and because of that, fashion really works in bringing people together and sharing ideas and perspectives.” His recent collection is inspired by his latest life stage as a new father.
“Clothes can be more than materialistic; they tell stories.” -Brian Nemedez.
Coldwater, a fashion collective based in San Jose’s Japantown, was founded by three brothers who believed they could share their story through a brand. The collection they presented was inspired by their childhood experiences, going fishing with their dad. Content Magazine covered their story back in 2024, sharing the magic that runs through Coldwater’s veins.
Coldwater was originally featured in Content Magazine’s Fall 2024 issue 16.4, “Perform”
Local San Jose fashion designer Ramona Rebel runs the brand Rebel Notions and is inspired by Cultura. Deeply rooted in Chicanx Lowrider culture, Rebel’s attitude towards design is grounded in self-expression.
Cilker School of Art and Design student Jayssielisa is currently completing her final semester at West Valley Community College in Saratoga. She shared that students in their last semester taking Design II: Line Development are tasked with creating three looks for West Valley’s annual graduation fashion show, now in its fifth year. Jayssielisa viewed the San Jose Day showcase as a great opportunity, even encouraging other design students to join. Other West Valley Designers included Ellie Vogel, Clyde Elloso, Sage Jean, Christian Cordero, and Angelica Ochoa.
Clyde Elloso was originally featured in Content Magazine’s summer 2025 issue 17.3, “Perform.”
There is so much beauty in San Jose, a place where you can be different, show up in your own way, and, hopefully, inspire others to do the same. Movements like this require people to organize and support each other.
So, what does San Jose fashion look like? It looks like claiming space, sharing stories, and showing up for one another. It looks like the brilliance of the people who reside here, who push the envelope and inspire others to expand their minds through self-expression.
Image 1: Jayssielisa | West Valley College, Cilker School of Art and Design
In West Valley College’s Interior Design Department, the tall windows that offer a glimpse of the bustling campus outside emanate a certain sense of openness and inspiration. These windows allow an abundance of natural light to flood the space but also provide a visual connection to the dynamic environment beyond, thereby inviting creativity and fostering a sense of community among the student designers.
Diane Hurd’s career trajectory wasn’t always clear from the start. Born and raised in San Jose, Diane was initially faced with the traditional options for women of that era—marriage, nursing, or secretarial work—but Diane sought something different. After becoming an assistant teacher at her local church, she discovered her interest in teaching but realized she didn’t want to limit herself to teaching at her local church.
Upon entering San Jose State University, Diane’s search for her passion continued. It wasn’t until she found interior design on the list of majors that her path became clear. After earning her degree in commercial design, Diane continued in that field for 15 years, working with two architecture firms and various commercial furniture dealers.
“I taught the first class on the first day, and I will never forget leaving the classroom, shutting the door, getting into my car, and thinking, ‘That was pretty fun. Maybe I can do this.’”
Diane found herself unexpectedly teaching a class at the College of San Mateo, even though she had no prior teaching experience beyond what she had gained in her church. Despite her initial hesitation, she quickly discovered a passion for sharing her professional knowledge with students. After two years of teaching at the College of San Mateo, Diane moved on to teach at San Jose State University. However, she ultimately landed at West Valley College a year later, where she spent 31 years teaching interior design and serving as the department chair. “I taught the first class on the first day, and I will never forget leaving the classroom, shutting the door, getting into my car, and thinking, ‘That was pretty fun. Maybe I can do this.’ I realized, although I didn’t have teaching experience, I had professional experience that I could share with students.”
Diane’s teaching philosophy centers on giving students first-hand knowledge of the profession and how it operates in real-life scenarios. She focuses on translating theoretical concepts into practical interior design practice, emphasizing that her primary goal is to help students bridge the gap between academic knowledge and professional application. “I don’t want the students to just know the theory,” she explains, “but to translate and transform it into how that theory is implemented in interior design practice.” She adds, “Everything I teach is about how they can take that into the profession, and I guess you can say that is my basic philosophy on interior design.”
Diane’s aspiration for her students is for them to grasp the significance of interior design. As they work with environments where individuals live, dine, labor, and engage in recreational activities, Diane’s objective for her students is to shape people’s lives through impactful designs.
Diane feels her most profound sense of fulfillment during the spring semester’s conclusion, when she beholds her students and their families brimming with smiles and adorned with a sense of accomplishment. Witnessing these students’ successes, whether in significant projects or small endeavors throughout the year, elicits a profound joy in Diane. It signifies to her that her students have absorbed the knowledge and confidence essential for stepping into their respective fields.
Beyond her immediate purview as a department chair for the Interior Design Department, Diane’s role extends to engaging with diverse colleagues and areas of expertise. This expanded responsibility includes administrative duties, and over the years, Diane has had the opportunity to witness and navigate various administrative landscapes, each presenting unique challenges and opportunities.
With her potential retirement, the subject of Diane’s legacy has been brought up. While the term “legacy” may seem grandiose to her, Diane has reached the conclusion that her legacy primarily comprises the environment she cultivated. “All I am doing is my job,” she says, “and crossing my fingers two times that it has worked out. But on a serious note, I believe my legacy lies in maintaining the Interior Design program’s professionalism and fostering a culture of collaboration.”
After her retirement, Diane’s involvement with interior design will remain steadfast. Her focus will shift towards engaging in pro bono projects with a charitable organization. The objective of these projects is to facilitate collaborations between students and designers, directing their collective expertise towards projects for nonprofit organizations, charities, or individuals typically unable to afford professional interior design services. These initiatives are not only advantageous for student’s portfolios, but they also provide a platform for them to engage with potential clientele and the field at large. Furthermore, it enables Diane to maintain her connections with students and continue sharing her knowledge with them.
The pandemic has not left the field of interior design untouched, and it has prompted an evolution in the way designers approach both indoor and outdoor spaces. Diane believes that the future of the field will involve a more meticulous consideration of space, particularly as society transitions from open layouts to more enclosed designs due to social distancing requirements.
West Valley College hopes to create a scholarship endowment to provide a permanent source of funds to award annually to students studying interior design.
Their goal is to raise $25,000 to establish the scholarship endowment in Diane and Peter’s memory. Donations are fully tax-deductible and can be made online with your credit card.
If you would like to donate by check, please make checks payable to West Valley-Mission Foundation and mail to: the Office of Advancement, 14000 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga, CA 95070.
Thank you for your contribution to honoring the memory and lives of Diane and Peter.
Artists and students gathered on the campus of West Valley College in Saratoga to showcase their work at the college’s annual STEAM’D Fest. 2025 marked the fourth year of collaboration between Content Magazine and The Cilker School of Art & Design in producing The Cilker Grad EXPO and Pick-Up Party 17.3, “Perform,” which celebrated the latest issue of the magazine.
Before the main event and Pick-Party began on May 16, 2025, college students attended a networking event. With portfolios in hand, they practiced their elevator pitches and shared their coursework with industry professionals from various fields, invited by Content Magazine. Adding to the pre-party festivities, a mobile screenprinting press run by OaxaCali Studio supplied visitors with commemorative tote bags and shirts with the Cilker School of Art and Design’s logo. Attendees lined up excited to receive their EXPO swag.
At 7p, nearly everyone on campus made their way down an incline led by string lights to the college’s visual arts building; they followed the sound of a music duo, MindFi, comprised of guitarist Mark Arroyo and vocalist Kia Fay Donovan, and were greeted The Content Magazine check-in table, guest received food and drink tickets, and picked up their copy of the new magazine.
Art lovers cycled in and out of the glass facades of the visual arts buildings, enjoying student work in one gallery and a pop-up exhibition featuring artists from the pages of the magazine in the other. The blend of magazine members and college supporters made the event feel like a party hosted for the city, as all ages enjoyed the artwork and snacks on a crisp Friday evening.
Mild Monk, previously featured in Issue 12.0, “Discover,” performed a rare live performance in front of a massive 12 ft wide King157 backdrop featuring the magazine’s name and his iconic graffiti characters. The piece, produced in partnership with 1Culture Gallery for the Winter 2025 edition of Content, was hauled in and built for the event. At the same time, attendees snacked on ice cream and churros from food trucks.
In the theater behind the stage, students practiced their sales skills at booths set up like an art fair, selling stickers, ceramics, crochet pieces, and art prints.
After Mild Monk wrapped their half-hour set, attendees migrated upstairs to a beautiful second-story courtyard to experience the annual Cilker Fashion Design fashion showcase, which began fashionably late and had more attendees standing than sitting. As models strutted down and around the square catwalk, the designs were met with complete attention and applause.
Student designs brought a wide variety of wardrobes to the show, with some resembling those from the set of Dune and others looking red-carpet ready. With thick eyeliner and confident strides, the models presented themselves to an enthusiastic crowd, some sporting trailing capes and knit face masks, as the designers concluded the scheduled portion of the evening with a bow.
Join us on Thursday, August 21, 2025, at CURA Contemporary gallery in Morgan Hill for Pick-Up Party 17.4, “Profiles”. The party will celebrate the artist featured in the issue, including the 2025 Content Emerging Artist Awardees, and feature a pop-up gallery, live music, and food and drink from Véra restaurant and its master chef’s curated menu. The party will be produced in partnership with CURA contemporary, The Gilroy Foundation, Heritage Bank, and The City of Morgan Hill.
West Valley College’s Bill & Leila Cilker School of Art and Design has a bold goal: cultivating systemic change by offering accessible arts education. The school achieves this through its wide range of interdisciplinary offerings designed to encourage well-rounded and thoughtful students.
Cilker School of Art and Design is coming up on its second year in its new Visual Arts Complex, which opened in the fall of 2023. The building houses five different art studios for painting, digital media, sculpture, ceramics, as well as computer labs and machine shops. Designed to be a hub for the arts, the facility helps students further explore their interests and experiment with their craft in a safe and welcoming environment.
The complex is the site for the school’s 2025 Art + Design EXPO, which celebrates graduating students. The annual three-day event features work from current and graduating students across Cilker’s diverse set of disciplines, including architecture, art, graphic design, fashion, industrial design, film, music, photography, theater, and dance. The EXPO provides a space for students, faculty, and guests to connect across disciplines and collaborate, in line with Cilker’s goal of systemic change.
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.
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.
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.
West Valley College believes in the power of a well-rounded education to shape a future that extends beyond the classroom. Each year, graduating students have the opportunity to showcase their capstone work—a testament to their growth and achievements—to peers, instructors, and the community. In the third year of the Cilker School of Art and Design’s EXPO, they have expanded the event’s reach to celebrate the dynamic relationship between art and design and science and math. The inaugural three-day STEAMD (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math, & Design) Fest will create a platform that ignites interdisciplinary collaboration between students and faculty, reinforcing the essential symbiotic relationships between disciplines.
We also feature three notable students from the various disciplines of the Cilker School of Art and Design as they move forward in their craft and careers.
Joel Hangai Music Education
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.
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.
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.
At West Valley College in Saratoga, Shannon Mirabelli-Lopez and Mel Vaughn have joined forces to launch the college’s first interdisciplinary graduation expo, STEAM’D Fest, where “Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math, and Design” reimagine collaboration.
Guided by the collective vision of Dean of The Cilker School of Art & Design, Mirabelli-Lopez, and Dean of The School of Math and Science, Vaughn, STEAM’D Fest represents a step towards fostering future integration across traditionally divided academic disciplines and further building a culture where all disciplines at West Valley recognize their connections and contributions to problem-solving in this modern world.
STEAM’D Fest plans to catalyze cross-pollination between sciences and arts by showcasing the work of students graduating from both schools. The 3-day public event will feature an art & design industry night portfolio review, film festival, Cilker School of Art & Design Fashion Show, and Dance Caravan, as well as birds of prey raptor show, chemistry and physics demonstrations, planetarium exhibition, and moon garden tour. As educators, Mirabelli-Lopez and Vaughn believe that STEAM’D Fest creates a unique platform for students and faculty members to break down boundaries between respective disciplines and leverage the complementary nature of their fields, emphasizing user experience and human-centric approaches.
Mirabelli-Lopez’s success in organizing two previous graduation expos for her school fuels her desire to support Vaughn in elevating his disciplines, aiming for increased visibility and recognition in Silicon Valley’s tech hub. In their eyes, a successful STEAM’D Fest would allow visitors to seamlessly engage with the event’s artistic and scientific dimensions.
In our conversation, we discuss Mirabelli-Lopez and Vaughn’s journeys toward higher education, their thoughts on how teachers impact students’ lives and academic success, and the music they are listening to. RSVP Here: https://bit.ly/pup163perform
Breathing life into a picture takes vulnerability. It’s an act in which the photographer lends the viewer his eyes and says, “Really look at this. Here is something to be seen.” Through his use of camera angles, focus, color settings, and light exposure, we catch a glimpse of what the photographer values, what he or she believes. A good picture reaches us on a soul level—then triggers a response.
“Humans are visual beings, and when something as real as a photograph is presented to us, it can touch us in unexpected ways,” says Dan Fenstermacher, who works as a documentary and street photographer as well as a photography instructor at West Valley College. “Reading about the atrocities of war or the effects of a natural disaster don’t evoke as much empathy as a powerful photograph, in my opinion.”
With a knack for capturing strong emotion through the gestures and expressions in his candid shots, Dan “aims to shed light on the perseverance of the human spirit in overcoming life’s challenges.” To see this in action, look no further than his Perceptions of Identity series. Through these visceral images, Dan introduces viewers to individuals combating mental illness. The project, which was featured in Huffington Post, seeks to “humanize misconceived perceptions by fostering dialogue and giving voices to a misunderstood and misrepresented community.”
His depictions of obsessive-compulsive disorder are among the most striking—perhaps because he himself strives to keep the condition in check. In one image, a man pours Windex into a coffee mug while a small army of Lysol spray, Clorox wipes, and Dawn dishwasher soap bottles crowd his coffee table. In another, a woman wearily washes up, seven bottles of hand sanitizer lining her Saran-wrapped sink counter—their nozzles swiveled (almost accusingly) in the direction of her hands.
Surprisingly, Dan discovered his inner shutterbug later on. Although he received a tiny polaroid that captured thumbnail-sized photos as a kid, he didn’t obtain his first serious camera until his undergrad years. And even then, he was planning a career in marketing. “I’m gonna get into advertising and make these really funny Doritos commercials for the Super Bowl. It’s gonna be creative and fun,” Dan says, recalling his naive younger mindset during an interview with photography podcast StreetPX. On realizing marketing was a lot of paperwork and “Excel spreadsheets as far as the eye could see,” he determined to apply his El Camino College photography classes as a fine arts instructor at Xiangfan University in China. Dan has worked with cameras ever since, securing snapshots of life across four continents.
“We are all connected. Life is about helping others and, in return, receiving help as well.”
For one of his international projects, Dan flew to New Delhi, India, to recognize rickshaw drivers. “Yellow and green three-wheeled 150cc engine rickshaws of Delhi swarm the city like locusts and engulf its alleyways and streets,” he writes alongside the portraits. “Decorated to the individual driver’s taste, the rickshaws take on a home-like environment for the drivers and represent the lifeblood of India’s public transportation.” Delightfully dissimilar to New York taxis, these dented, scraped rigs are often outfitted with orange flowers and chili peppers to ward off evil spirits, with pictures of Hindu deities on the dashboard for added protection.
Another project drew him to a nursing home in Costa Rica to take senior portraits. There, he contemplated the cycle of life and our return to dependency, highlighted the importance of elders to society, and strove to catch the essence of each senior. “We are all connected,” Dan explains. “Life is about helping others and, in return, receiving help as well.” He fondly recalls the residents traveling by van to witness their portraits at a local art museum.
Closer to home, Dan documents parades, festivals, and other events around the Bay Area. His picture of a local wrestler backflipping off the ropes to defeat a prone opponent won the American Experience category of the 15th Smithsonian Photo Contest.
Even when he’s giving his camera a chance to breathe, Dan is talking photography with his students at West Valley. “I like seeing the progress of students at the end of the semester compared to where they started in week one,” he observes. “When a student feels excitement or pride about their work, I also feel and share that energy.” It seems teaching, like photography, is an exercise in empathy.
