ART INSTITUTE ENROLLS 1,000TH STUDENT

Pictured from left to right are Alex Alonso and his father Alonso Alonso.


Alonso Alonso stands in front of the entrance of The Art Institute of California - Inland Empire



(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) – The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire recently enrolled its 1,000th student, a benchmark of the school’s recognition as a major force in creative college-level education.

The 1,000th student is Alonso Alonso, 34, from San Bernardino. He’s a culinary student and a single father of Andrew, 6.

“I did not have any background in the culinary field,” he recalls, “but even in junior high the Home Economics class fascinated me. Then when I got to high school I became hooked on cooking classes. So, that’s six years of culinary background before I even thought about college and a degree.”

Alonso entered quite a few local baking competitions while attending Calipatria High School in Imperial County, as well as drafting contests since he was also interested in architecture at the time.

He went on to enroll at California State University, San Bernardino, majoring in psychology. However, he dropped out to find a job in order to support his son.

After 13 years at an Ontario distribution warehouse, Alonso was laid off this past September. “I knew the company was in trouble,” he says. “There were around 40 layoffs, all without warning. I had to do something. I could go back to school and finish my degree in business administration, but I’d soured on the distribution thing. It was time to do what I really loved.”

What he loved was cooking and food preparation, and though he did consider various colleges, it became clear The Art Institute of California - Inland Empire’s award-winning culinary program could provide exactly what Alonso wanted and needed with a Bachelor of Science in Culinary Management.

“My focus was too spread out,” he remembers. “I couldn’t narrow down where I should concentrate for my education. But now, with The Art Institute’s culinary program, I’m on target.”

This 1,000th student has his sights set on being a chef after graduation in 2011, and with a B.S. under his arm.

“Alonso Alonso will do well here at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire,” said President Emam El-Hout. “In his first term here, we have seen his dedication to learning the basics of culinary arts so that he can provide a better life for himself and his son. We know his dedication will ultimately result in him managing or owning a fantastic restaurant where we can all look forward to enjoying gourmet meals.”

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Culinary Management, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion Marketing & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Fashion Design. There are also Associate of Science degrees in Graphic Design and Culinary Arts. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start the new year at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin Feb. 19 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information or a free tour of The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire call (909) 915-2100 or go on line to artinstitutes.edu/inlandempire.

-end-

ART INSTITUTE FACULTY AND OTHER INDUSTRY LEADERS JUDGE

Sandra Hugh, an eighth-grader at Ruth O. Harris Middle School in Bloomington, presents “Fashion Passion,” her concept of a pre-teen’s dream room, to judges in the Interior Design portion of the student organization FHA-HERO’s Region 10 Competitive Recognition Events held recently at Ontario High School. Judges included Sara Sandoval (left), academic director of Interior Design program at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire and Susan Thomas (right). Some of the drawings on Sandra’s presentation board were created with Auto-CAD (Computer Aided Design) software. Photo by Chris Sloan


(ONTARIO, Calif.) Before a young person commits to obtaining a college degree at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, something sparks their creativity.

For students who are pursuing degrees in Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, Interior Design, Fashion Design and Fashion & Retail Management, that spark of creativity is often an organization they belonged to in high school, FHA-HERO. With that in mind the academic directors of these Art Institute of California – Inland Empire programs, Eyad Joseph, Sara Sandoval and Sherry West, helped judge a regional FHA-HERO competition held recently at Ontario High School.

Just as they would be able to continue doing at The Art Institute after high school graduation, the teenagers gain from FHA-HERO an opportunity to learn about and succeed in home economics-related fields. In fact, the HERO part of FHA-HERO means “Home Economics Related Occupations.”

The FHA part of the organization’s name means “Future Homemakers of America,” but that’s a tribute to their long history as an organization for students enrolled in home economics. Its only bearing on the home economics curriculum in 21st Century high schools in California is that a portion of the curriculum strives to prepare youth for personal success at home and in a career.

This curriculum is officially known as “Home Economics Careers and Technology.” It heavily emphasizes preparing students for careers in home economics, which is what
The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire also wants to do for its Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, Interior Design, Fashion Design and Fashion & Retail Management students.

Educators at both levels agree. The Home Economics Careers and Technology program is a great first step, but college is also important for those who seek more than an entry-level career in these industries.

“These students are looking for educational opportunities in the local colleges,” said Sara Sandoval, academic director of the Interior Design program at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. “Competitions like the one sponsored by FHA-HERO influence students entering The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. They come to our school having already experienced an opportunity to positively influence other people’s lives through their skills, and are ready to take those experiences to a new level.”

As an Interior Design instructor, Sandoval was impressed to see middle school students using Auto-CAD (Computer Aided Design) software to create their entries in FHA-HERO’s Interior Design competition. Auto-CAD is a program The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire teaches its third-quarter Interior Design students, after they first take two quarters of paper and pencil drafting.

But for the young teens who did this, learning Auto-CAD from family members was just one of the many ways they have enriched their lives through learning. To create entries that showed the judges their concepts of an ideal room for a pre-teen child, the students also relied on freehand drawing, math and public speaking to create entries that included display boards, cost and materials analyses and five-minute speeches.

“Their thirst for knowledge and interest in developing lifelong professional skills also coincides with their interest in supporting the wellbeing of a community by becoming involved in a school organization such as FHA-HERO,” Sandoval said. “As industry professionals and educators, it is our responsibility to channel their great productive energy into well-rounded designers.”

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation. It offers an Associate degree in Graphic Design, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design.

The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers an Associate degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree in Culinary Management. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start a new term at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin April 6 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information, or to arrange a tour, call The Art Institute at (909) 915-2100 or go on line to www.artinstitutes.edu/InlandEmpire.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of the Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu/InlandEmpire), a system of more than 40 locations throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

-end-

Art Institute Awards $159,000 in scholarships

Every year, The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire hosts several competitions providing winners with scholarships. Here, current student Kevin Agra competes in the Best Teen Chef 2008 competition. For winning this competition he received a $3,000 scholarship. This was just one of many scholarships, totaling $159,000, the Art Institute of California-Inland Empire awarded in 2008. Robert Swapp Photo

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Fifteen Inland Empire residents are taking the first steps toward their dreams of careers in the arts, with the help of $159,000 in scholarships awarded by The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, located in San Bernardino, is a private university, which offers degrees in creative careers such as graphic design, interior design, culinary arts, culinary management, web design & interactive media, media arts & animation, game art & design.

“The Art Institute of California - Inland Empire feels that if people have the talent and drive, then paying for education should not be an obstacle,” said President Emam El-Hout. “The scholarships will help many Inland Empire residents receive an education that can help them pursue careers that they love.”

The scholarships include awards of $1,000 to $15,000. Four of the awards were for placing in the preliminary rounds of national competitions.

Alurra Hughes of Redlands won $3,000 in The Art Institutes Poster Competition for designing what was judged the best poster of all entries from The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire. Kevin Agra of Rancho Cucamonga and Scott Nerim of Riverside won awards of $3,000 and $1,000 by placing first and third in The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef competition, in which students cooked items on a set menu in a timed competition.

The remaining awards, for $5,000 to $15,000, went to first- and second-place winners in local scholarship competitions. There were two categories of award winners in most of these competitions, members of the Class of 2008, and adults who graduated from high school before 2008 and now wished to attend The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire.

These scholarship winners demonstrated excellence in a particular program of The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire.

• Culinary - Students planned a menu, submitted the menu, its recipes and photos, and wrote an essay about why they wanted to be culinarians.
• Game Art & Design - Students sent their ideas for new games, along with drawings of a character and a set.
• Graphic Design – Students submitted a poster, two illustrations and either pencil or pen and ink drawings.
• Media Arts & Animation – Students submitted four drawings, a computer generated 3-D model and their own 15-second animated Quick Time movie.
• Interior Design – Students submitted a portfolio showing creative design ability, which included sketches, perspective drawings with hand-lettering and in some cases, floor plans and room elevations
• Web Design & Interactive Media – Students submitted a portfolio including a five-page interactive Website and a site map flowchart for the Website.

A $15,000 scholarship for Web Design & Interactive Media makes the college experience easier for Hector Franco, whose hometown is the desert city of Littlerock, near Palmdale. Unlike many students, who live close enough to The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire to commute from home, Franco and a classmate from Littlerock High School moved after their 2008 graduation to the Art Institute’s student housing and must pay room and board as well as tuition.

“We don’t have much money, and we didn’t get any grants,” he said about himself and his friend. “So I was really happy to get this scholarship.”

Franco believes the skills he’s learning in the Web Design & Interactive Media program could benefit him in a variety of careers.

“Besides, Web design is something I have always liked,” he said.

Ceara Alejo of Mira Loma is also studying Web Design & Interactive Media, qualified for a $5,000 scholarship to the program. Like Franco, she believes this course of study will give her valuable skills in any career she may later pursue.

“I didn’t have money, so getting a scholarship really helped,” said the 2008 graduate of Jurupa Valley High School. “I have always enjoyed drawing, and I really wanted to go to The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire.”

Aldo Lopez of Upland, who received a $15,000 scholarship in Graphic Design, doubts he would have been able to attend college without this help.

“Money is a big problem, because of the economy,” he said. “And college is not cheap.”

The 2008 Upland High School graduate is now pursuing an associate degree in Graphic Design, which he could obtain in less than two years through The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire’s year-round schedule. The associate degree alone would provide opportunities he does not have with just a high school education, he said.

“I think it would give me an edge,” he said.

But Lopez’ future may also include pursuit of a bachelor’s degree at The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire before he starts his career. Both Graphic Design and the newly established Fashion Design programs are possibilities, he said.

“I have always wanted to design my own clothing line,” he said. “I most like the graphic element of that, such as designing logos for T-shits.”

Scholarship recipients are:

Winners name City Scholarship Amount Program
Catherine Anderson Fontana $15,000 1st Culinary
Erik Goebel Hesperia $5,000 2nd Culinary
Alurra Hughes Redlands $15,000 1st $3,000 1st Game Art & Design
Poster Contest
Aldo Lopez Upland $15,000 1st Graphic Design
Josiah Serrano Rancho Cucamonga $5,000 2nd Graphic Design

Ziad Jabeguero Fontana $15,000 1st Media Arts & Animation
Hector Franco Littlerock $15,000 1st Web Design & Interactive Media
Ceara Alejo Mira Loma $5,000 2nd Web Design & Interactive Media
Kimbra Brown Riverside $10,000 1st Culinary
Jessica Hurst Mira Loma $10,000 1st Game Art & Design
Carissa Williams Victorville $5,000 2nd
Game Art & Design
Amanda Birosak Corona $10,000 1st Interior Design
Shalonda Jackson Moreno Valley $10,000 1st Graphic Design
Kevin Agra Alta Loma $3,000 1st Best Teen Chef
Scott Nerim Riverside $1,000 3rd Best Teen Chef

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Culinary Management, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion Marketing & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Fashion Design. There are also Associate of Science degrees in Graphic Design and Culinary Arts. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start classes at The Art Institute of California–Inland Empire. Courses begin Jan. 12 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information or a free tour of The Art Institute of California–Inland Empire call (909) 915-2100 or (800) 353-0182 or go on line to artinstitutes.edu/inlandempire.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), with more than 40 educational institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

-end-