Hope Floats

Most people watched the aftermath of the tsunami from the
comfort of their homes. Some even donated money to aid victims
through various philanthropic organizations.

But fourth-year communication studies and Design | Media Arts
student Joshua To went a step further. He used his clothing company
Resonance to design a “Hope Floats” T-shirt, in which
100 percent of its profits will directly aid tsunami survivors.

To hopes he can inspire people to get involved in social causes.
And he created Resonance clothing company with third-year Design |
Media Arts student James Buyayo to do just that. The name Resonance
stems from their hope that students can overcome their differences
in order to work together in humanitarian efforts.

Recently, To also created a nonprofit organization, InspireLife,
to extend his involvement with world issues to an even greater
level. He was even featured in the recent Newsweek article,
“The College Vanguard: 15 Students You Don’t Know …
But Will.”

To said he was especially inspired by a communication studies
class he took with Professor Paul Von Blum.

“In the beginning of class he would list off social
movements, heroes and events in different times of history, and he
would ask if anyone knew about them,” said To. “And
time after time no one did. That struck us. We thought “˜Wow.
We need to know what’s going on.'”

This passion for social awareness is evident in
Resonance’s shirt designs. In addition to its successful
“Hope Floats” shirt, Resonance is also working on a
shirt to benefit child soldiers in Uganda.

Ironically, To almost never entered the world of design. His
interest in art did not lead to any sustained, practical pursuit
until about four to six months before turning in his undergraduate
applications to university design programs.

“I was really drawn to the power of the visual ““ the
arrangement of color, text, images, forms and structures and how
they can communicate,” To said.

And drawn in he was. He only had a few months to learn art and
build a portfolio, so he drew day and night, took art classes, and
even had a private tutor. He eventually was accepted to UCLA, where
his entrepreneurial and design skills flourished.

UCLA’s Design | Media Arts program offers a wide variety
of opportunities to its students.

C.J. Cenizal, another graduating Design | Media Arts student,
hopes to use his education to make his mark on the world one
project at a time.

“The design major has taught me how to understand the
world as a system of interacting cultures, viewpoints and
histories,” Cenizal said. “By being able to see beneath
the surface of the world, it makes it easier for me to deal with
some of the things I don’t like about it, and it gives me
hope that I can help change those things.”

His first endeavor is to help one of his UCLA professors on a
California Institute of Technology project. He will help study how
visitors navigate the campus, and then design signs for people,
buildings and facilities accordingly. Cenizal also plans to assist
at the UCLA Summer Design Institute, teaching kids about design for
video.

And while part of him may desire the typical, post-graduation
European vacation, Cenizal will likely be working there
instead.

He will travel to London after his summer at UCLA film with two
UCLA Theater, Film, and Television students, Darren Guttenberg and
James Broom, to help make a feature film tentatively titled
“Life*.”

“Hopefully it will make a profit. After that, I’ll
either be burning dollar bills to light my solid-gold cigars, or
I’ll be waiting tables,” Cenizal said.

Judging by their accomplishments thus far, Cenizal and To have
learned how to make the most of both their passions and the
circumstances before them.

“(Life is) really whatever you make it,” said
Cenizal. “Sometimes you just have to take whatever is in
front of you, or whatever is on your mind, and run with
it.”