Screenwriting is Journalism and Poetry
Here at Koreatown Storytelling Program, we strive to provide students with multifaceted storytelling skills that provoke self-expression and creative thinking. The screenwriting elective welcomes students from both high school and college levels, where they explore and develop fictional characters and transformation journeys of their own, grounded in the research of intergenerational social dynamics addressed in the KSP curriculum. Our mission is to provide arts education resources to local minority students who demonstrate an academic or professional interest in film, creative writing, theater, and other arts-related fields.
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Roxanne Pasiliao is a junior at UCLA. She is majoring in biology and minoring in film, television, and digital media. Her passion for writing and science shines through as an editor for Total Wellness, a student-run publication at UCLA, which aims to inform college students about all things concerning health and wellness. She is also a member of the Film & Photography Society at her university, where she can lean into her passion for film by making short films with her peers. Roxanne has grown up near Los Angeles for most of her life and enjoys the diverse food scene the city has to offer. She would like to learn more about Koreatown’s history because she hasn’t explored the area much. By participating in the KSP Screenwriting Program, Roxanne hopes to sharpen her storytelling skills so that she can craft her own screenplays in the future. When she’s not in school, you’ll most likely find her taking a break from reality at her favorite place, Disneyland! She hopes to achieve her career goals as a doctor, a screenwriter, or both!
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Porosh Khan is a senior at New Open World Academy in Los Angeles. He has lived in Koreatown all his life and connects with the diversity of cultures within it, feeling like a part of something bigger. His main objective is to establish a legacy for himself, which motivates him to tell a variety of fantastical tales. He is proficient in Korean, having taken it as an elective in school. He is the president of the student council for his class and plays guitar from time to time. He enjoys various types of music because he believes that every song tells a story that he draws inspiration from. He enjoys playing video games and watching movies for both the story and the spectacle. In the future, he hopes to achieve a career that combines both his passions for computer science and storytelling.
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Marlen Valencia is a senior at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Prior to moving to Santa Barbara to continue her education, she lived in Los Angeles. Due to her high school being nearby, she would often find herself in Koreatown, whether studying or exploring. During her free time, she writes stories that she hopes will one day be on screen. In addition to writing, she loves to dance, specifically covering dances from K-pop groups. She is interested in working in the film industry and has been working hard to make her dream come true.