Hunter Doradea in front of a Nobel Prize display at the Novel Prize Museum in Stockholm, where the Future Nobel Laureate Scholars Program projects will be featured
A view from the audience as Nobel Laureate Drew Weissman discusses the future of health during the 2024 Nobel Prize Dialogues in Stockholm
Hunter Doradea with U.S. Ambassador to Sweden, Erik Ramanathan, during the 2024 Nobel Laureate reception in Stockholm at the United States Embassy
Hunter Doradea with El Salvador's Ambassador to Sweden, Patricia Godinez, during Nobel Week, discussing his AI project aimed at addressing educational inequity and exploring ways to use it in El Salvador
Future Nobel Laureate Scholars enjoying a cultural excursion at the ABBA Museum in Stockholm
Hunter Doradea at the Stockholm Waterfront Congress Center during the 2024 Nobel Prize Dialogues, with the stage as the backdrop
Hunter Doradea in a relaxed moment at the Nobel Prize Museum
Hunter Doradea
Morena, Hunter's Mother
Hunter in his model avatar
On the runway
Modeling LA summer style
Hunter modeling
Hunter Doradea at the US Capitol
Hunter Doradea with Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
"Something Lost, Something Gained" signed by its author, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Hunter, Future Olympian
When Hunter Doradea applied to Santa Monica College, he had no idea that it would open a path leading to Columbia University, assisting former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and earning a Future Nobel Laureates Scholarship. That award, presented by the Nobel Prize Museum and The Forum on Education Abroad, is enabling him to journey to Stockholm, Sweden, in December to learn from global innovators and collaborate with 10 fellow awardees from around the world.
Hunter will also present a project he developed that uses artificial intelligence to help war-torn countries build and preserve their infrastructure. “A lot of the time, infrastructure falls apart because the people there don’t really have the training to maintain and operate it,” he says. So he’s harnessing AI to create avatars of engineers, professors and humanitarian workers to serve as virtual teachers.
The work was inspired by his mother, who, while still a teen, escaped from the civil war in her homeland of El Salvador, and his grandfather, who was murdered there many years before Hunter was born.
Hunter calls the AI project Modesto, which was his grandfather’s name, to honor the man he could only get to know through his mom’s memories. “I know that the one thing he wanted above all else was to give my mother an education,” Hunter says. “He wanted her to be a doctor or a teacher, but, sadly, that wasn’t possible.”
The first of his family to attend college — and the first from SMC or Columbia to be accepted into the Nobel program — Hunter hopes that his technology will open up opportunities that war and strife denied to his mother. Ultimately, he says, “it’s about using AI to help address educational inequity, so other people won’t have to face the struggles that she endured.”
Film, Fencing and Fashion
At SMC, Hunter majored in filmmaking and computer science, blending his love of technology with a love of storytelling. “SMC’s Film Program is incredible,” he says. “They really prepare you for the industry, with classes that feel like an actual movie set.”
During his time at SMC, Hunter also took up fencing. While practicing, he happened to meet members of the El Salvador fencing team, who come to Southern California annually to train. He impressed them so much that they invited him to compete with them. “I flew to El Salvador and got second place at the national tournament, so they put me on the national team,” Hunter says.
Since then, he has become a citizen of El Salvador, obtaining dual citizenship and fencing on behalf of El Salvador at the Pan American Games and the World Cup. Amid his busy schedule of academics, filmmaking and technology development, he is currently training to qualify for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
It should come as no surprise that Hunter adheres to a maxim attributed to Voltaire: “Present opportunities are not to be neglected; they rarely visit us twice.” So after catching the eye of a modeling scout while out walking one day, he accepted the invitation to audition. He has since not only walked runways as a model for fashion weeks in Milan and New York but also appeared in an issue of GQ. He even got to meet fashion icon Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue.
“It still feels a bit surreal,” Hunter admits.
Adding Skills
When Hunter began at SMC, he was unaware of its status as a top transfer college for Columbia and expected to attend a California university. Then he heard about the possibility of transferring to an Ivy League institution. “I thought, ‘this is something I know I can do,” he recalls.
But without SMC, he notes, that particular dream may never have become reality. “The counselors and professors were great at helping me get ready for transferring,” Hunter says. “They really aided in helping plan my schedule and picking the classes that would best prepare me.”
While at SMC, Hunter also received the largest-ever scholarship awarded by the SMC Foundation, the $50,000 Recharge Scholarship.
The transfer has even allowed him to continue projects that he began at SMC. For example, Hunter turned a script he crafted in an SMC screenwriting class into a short film at Columbia.
Meanwhile, he has expanded his range of burgeoning skills to include politics. While continuing his majors in film and computer science, he has begun Columbia’s pre-law track.
“Eventually, I want to run for a seat in Congress.” Hunter says. “It would be a great opportunity to create change at a legislative level, especially for communities that have been underserved and overlooked for too long. My goal isn’t just to make laws—it’s to make a real, lasting difference in people’s lives.”
Political Outlook
Through the Columbia Political Union, Hunter has already gained experience as a lobbyist. “We went to Congress to lobby for different bills, and I was in charge of promoting the Pay Teachers Act,” Hunter explains. The bill aims to ensure that all public school teachers earn a livable wage.
He is even writing his own legislative proposal on AI and the need for data privacy. “Many people don’t realize how much access corporations have to their data,” Hunter notes. “So this bill would create safeguards. It would also address deepfakes and other issues to protect people’s information and creativity.” He has already met with city council members and New York State Senator Kristen Gonzalez’s team about drafting the bill.
One handy intersection between Hunter’s cinematic abilities and policy interests occurred when he became an assistant to Hillary Clinton for the course she teaches with Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo at Columbia, Inside the Situation Room, which examines how foreign policy decisions are made. “I was working as an editor on footage shot for her class and asked her team if there was any way I could be part of the course.” Instead of taking the course as a student, he was able to obtain a job helping manage class logistics and videoconferencing, which enabled him to attend the lectures.
The driving force behind all of Hunter’s goals and projects is making people’s lives easier — whether though technology, policy, information or entertainment. He is motivated by the tough times his family went through — even after his mother gained U.S. citizenship. For example, Hunter’s father was violent and held the family hostage. “He was sent to prison for more than 20 years,” Hunter says.
Although only a toddler at the time, Hunter still remembers how he and his mother barely had enough to eat. “We went through so much,” he says. “Those experiences taught me resilience and gratitude, and it's why I push myself so hard today. Because I know where I came from, and I’m determined to build a better future — not just for myself, but for others who face the same challenges.”
Only one personal item survives from the tragedy and devastation that forced Hunter’s mother out of El Salvador: a photo of her as a young girl. “I told her I would take it to Sweden to present along with my project,” he says.
“For me, that photo isn’t just a reminder of her past; it’s a symbol of resilience, hope and the sacrifices that made my journey possible,” Hunter says.
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SMC in Focus Volume X, Issue 6
Dream Chaser
SMC to Columbia transfer Hunter Doradea is one of just 11 students worldwide chosen to be a Future Nobel Laureate Scholar. Read Article
Fit for Hollywood
Chimechi Oparanozie. Remember that name. The erstwhile SMC multi-sport athlete is making his big play in the newly released wrestling movie, “Unstoppable.” Read Article
Hair, Hair! Barbering is Here
SMC’s Cosmetology Department now offers a degree and certificate in barbering, which prepares students for success in a rigorous, quickly changing field. Read Article
For Thaddeus, it’s Personal
Thaddeus Phillips, CalFresh project outreach manager, connects eligible SMC students with state-funded resources for groceries. He knows first-hand the difference it can make. Read Article
Bragging Rights
A counselor publishes a book to guide young adults starting their education/career. An Accounting prof. has a piece published about his journey from community college to Stanford. Read Article
Cultural Exchange
SMC student Aldo Barrera is teaching English in Spain, sharing his knowledge about the United States while learning about Spanish culture. Read Article