SBCC International: Volunteering With Vanessa (Vanessa To)

Hi! My name is Vanessa To, from Berlin, Germany with Chinese descent, I’m 18 years old, now living in Santa Barbara for one semester. Finally, after twelve years of attending school, I graduated last summer in 2018 my A level in Berlin (Germany). In the beginning, I was not really sure what I really want to do after graduating. I forced myself to study immediately, such as Fashion Design; International Business Administration or media science and communication studies in Germany-wide. By applying for lots of universities I noticed day by day that most of the majors I applied for were not really those courses of studies I really would like to study for the next three years plus two further years. So I decided to start to study abroad for one semester in Santa Barbara City College in California. Now, I am doing it! From now on, my dream is to study abroad because my greatest ambition is to improve my English skills in writing and reading, as well in interaction with other people. But the most important thing here for me is to figure out what I really want to become after one semester studying in SBCC.

Today, I am still following my artistic hobbies that shaped and coined my personality. For this reason, I was volunteering for the 34th Santa Barbara Film Festivals (SBIFF) in 2019 which started on January 30 and was taking place until February 9. The SBIFF takes place in the Arlington Theatre (1317 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara) which has a capacity of 2000 guests.

Aside from that, I love taking the acting class for the camera in Santa Barbara City College. That is always exciting and I am learning day by day more about myself why do I act at that time in this way and how I could do it next time better. I think the acting class let me feel more self-confident if I don't know anymore who I really am. The people with whom I am having acting class are all really likable and we can learn a lot from each other by sharing our acting skills no matter in words or in physicalization. So, I decided to get a new perspective from the film industry to get a broader overview to obtain a better understanding and getting the first-hand experience. In what way, I registered on the SBIFF website (https://sbiff.org/film-festival/volunteer/) to volunteer.

Moreover, I love to share my unique moments with my community from SBCC.

What does the SBIFF offer?

The SBIFF is a nonprofit organization. This film festival "celebrate the art of cinema and provide impactful educational experiences for our local, national and global communities."

The International Film Festival of Santa Barbara's objective is to support education and community by offering free educational programs such as new international films. Furthermore, SBIFF opened in 2018 an Education Center in Santa Barbara for more support in education and creativity.

What did I consider and what were my tasks in volunteering?

First of all, I chose two different shifts with diverse target groups. For the volunteering, I had a dress code. I had to wear for both shifts a name tag, a green ambassador shirt with a long sleeve shirt, and black pants or jeans.

Let us “jump” into the volunteering experience

My first shift was the Tribute Event which started from 6 pm to 9 pm on 31st January in 2019. (For the Tribute Event I wore instead of jeans, black pants and took a little small bag for my valuables, please take a jacket with you it was really cold without one).

I was really excited to manage the lines; controlling the crowds and answering the questions of the attendees. For the very first time, I struggled to handle the large group but after some attempts, I figured out how to deal with the crowds. I was so happy that I had one another volunteer by my side because I was standing in front of the main door to tear the tickets for the numerous attendees.

I learned how to be more professional in front of the public. Furthermore, by volunteering for a good cause, it gave me more strengths to come out of my comfort zone.

Even though, I didn't see any celebrities but I had an unforgettable moment this Thursday evening. After my shift, I could watch the nomination of the directors in the Arlington Theatre. There were some famous-outstanding-rewarded directors I didn't know before, for instance, Alfonso Cuarón; Yorgos Lanthimos; Paweł Pawlikowski; Spike Lee and Adam McKay.

The second shift was the Kids Event (Applebox Films) from 9 am to 1 pm.

(For the Tribute Event I wore jeans and a small bag for my valuables and an umbrella, please take a jacket with you it was really cold without one). On that day, we had really bad weather in Santa Barbara but luckily I was not standing roofless. So, it was okay for me.

My task was to give free popcorn out in front of the Arlington Theatre to adults and children. It was a really nice experience to see the happy and surprised face of the adults as well as the children. I also met some (new) people from our City College.

After my shift, I could watch some parts of the movies for free and it was really interesting what kind of movie they offered. I don't remember the name of the movie but it was a superman screening in a comic version. Before the movie was over, the volunteers had to gather to clean and collect the (empty) packages of the popcorn and refreshments into plastic bags.

In conclusion, I want to say that it is a really great opportunity to gain work experience in the film industry but also a small contribution to the social community. I had a lot of fun and met new people from Santa Barbara. Here you can find more information about the Film Festival of Santa Barbara: https://sbiff.org/about/about-sbiff/

Best wishes,

Your International Blogger

Vanessa