Student of the Issue
Hayley Allison
Cameron Fuller, Copy Editor
cfuller@csumb.edu
Hayley Allison loves T.V. She is an avid Lost fan, owning all of the seasons, and on long weekends she stays up marathoning the show from pilot to finale. But her obsession with the medium, unlike most people, does not stop there. She has moved this love of television off of the couch and into the working world.
Allison, senior TAT major and Business minor, is a passionate person. Her big smile and bright raed hair match her gregarious and fiery personality. She took her passion for film and helped start the Monterey Bay Film Festival’s Young Filmmakers Program. In 2008, TAT Director Edith Blader-Baxter told Allison she wanted to produce a teen film festival. “I took the idea and ran with it,” said Allison. She produced a major portion of the festival and liking the experience greatly, Allison decided to produce the second annual festival this year for her senior capstone. The film program encourages teen students to produce films as a creative outlet. The topics range from the death of a parent to incarceration to gay rights and self reflection. On any given day she can be found talking on the phone to any one of her 50 crew members.
Allison has had an active scholastic career at CSU Monterey Bay (CSUMB). In her sophomore year, she was given the opportunity to create another teen outlet; she was a integral part in the start of the Marina High School drama club. She is grateful to CSUMB for the opportunities she’s had. “I don’t think any other school would have allowed such a big project to be undertaken [by a student],” said Allison.
Her work in the community has not gone unnoticed. On April 17, she was awarded the President’s Award for Exemplary Student Achievement for 2010. This honor is awarded every year to an exceptional student who is well rounded academically, is seen as a positive role in the community and has achieved a cumulative G.P.A. of at least 3.0; Allison is graduating Summa Cum Laude. Feeling she is mostly seen as a public figure, Allison was shocked and honored for the recognition. “It’s the core of who I am that I was awarded for, the actual Hayley Allison, It’s nice to be just me for once,” said Allison.
After graduation Allison plans on returning to the silicon valley. But her momentum in film making is just getting started. “I am looking to move on to producing films that have a community outreach, it’s what is the most rewarding,” said Allison. She hopes to make big changes in the world of film and the world at large. “I have a lot of compassion for any kind of intolerance,” said Allison. “I know it might sound corny, but I want to change the world and I think I am little by little.”
Allison can be seen speaking at the 2010 graduation ceremony.
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