InFocus Volume XI, Issue 1

SMC In Focus

A bi-monthly newsletter connecting the Santa Monica College community. Celebrating endless possibilities, innovation, and resilience.

Volume XI, Issue 1, February 18, 2025
In a world going through massive changes, Santa Monica College continues to hold steady as a gateway to opportunity and career advancement. 2025’s first issue of SMC in Focus showcases the pioneering eSports program, a new AI course for SMC instructors, and the Fashion Design program/annual LA Mode fashion show which prepares students to excel in a highly competitive space and is an inter-disciplinary collaboration that helps build real-life skills. Plus, a Psychology professor who peels back the layers of the human psyche for Corsairs and herself, and a student from Myanmar who won’t let anything get in the way of his thespian dreams.

Esports Advantage

SMC’s pioneering Esports Program instills the skills needed to become industry players in this burgeoning digital media arena.

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AI for Educators

A new SMC course prepares educators from all disciplines to train their students in using artificial intelligence appropriately, effectively — and ethically.

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Haute-to-Go at SMC

Produced annually by SMC’s Photography & Fashion Department, the LA Mode Fashion Show of today is practically a de rigeur rite of passage for aspiring designers at the College.

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When Trauma Makes You Better

For 25 years Dorothy Chin has peeled back the layers of the human psyche to curious Corsairs. Since the pandemic, she’s discovered a new layer in her own mind—and it’s a gamechanger.

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Bragging Rights

The SMC Foundation organizes a multi-day distribution drive for those affected by the LA fires. A journalism instructor elected regional director for National Association of Black Journalists.

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Spider-Man, the Musical?

Ye Dyke’s first audition felt like a botched tryout reel from America’s Got Talent. But this student from Myanmar—who’d never been inside a theatre—wouldn’t let a first setback get in the way.

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