Congratulations to the following students who have committed to
the Arts by majoring in a Visual or Performing Art form
Giuliana Brida | Dance and Journalism
Fiona Galvin | Ballet and
Kinesiology
Aurora Giacobbe| Film and
Media Production
Mackenzie Holmes| Creative
Producing
Madigan
Hunt| Screenwriting
Julia Long| Art
History
Madison Reyes| Design
Molly
Southard| Interior
Design
Neda Tajlil| Film
Kathryn Uliana| Theatre
Giuliana Brida
New York University, New York
City
Major: Dance and Journalism
“Gigi” found her passion for ballet at age two. At 11, she was
the youngest dancer to be promoted as Apprentice with PH
Classical Ballet. At 15 she was promoted to soloist with the
pre-professional ballet company. Gigi has performed in Sleeping
Beauty, Coppelia, Romeo & Juliet, Swan Lake, Napoli, several
other classical pieces, and 14 consecutive years of the
Nutcracker. At 16, Gigi transferred to The School of Sacramento
Ballet and is currently a member of their pre-professional
training program under the direction of Cynthia Drayer.
From freshman through junior years, Gigi was a member of SFHS
Dance Company and a current Dance Captain. As a senior, she is a
member of the SFHS Show Choir team. This year Gigi joined the
Apprentice Dance Company in order to continue dancing, as she is
the current SFHS Student Body President.
In 2017 Gigi was awarded and recognized by the California State
Senate for her dedication to Classical Ballet. Next fall, Gigi
will move to the east coast to attend New York University where
she will double major in Journalism and Dance. Gigi is grateful
to her parents Linda and Greg.
She would like to thank Agata Grzelak for her unconditional
support and guidance. She would also like to thank Cassey
McGreevy for her leadership guidance; as well as her English
Instructors Stacy McDonaldcy, Tim Gracyk, Sarah Symkowick, and
Mari Kirstien for their assistance in helping her find her second
passion in English.
Fiona Galvin
University of Utah, Salt Lake
City
Major: Ballet and Kinesiology
Fiona has been dancing ballet since the age of 4 and is currently
a member at Deane Dance Center and is in their Sacramento Civic
Ballet Company. At Deane Dance Center, Fiona also teaches dance
and is currently in the ballet of The Sleeping Beauty. Besides
dancing outside of school, Fiona has been on SF Dance Company
since freshman year and is serving as dance captain this year.
She is also choreographer of show choir. Fiona has participated
in musicals at SF including Little Women, The Boyfriend, and
Chicago. This year, Fiona was assistant choreographer for The
Music Man. Fiona is inspired to continue dance into college due
to the support she receives from her family and friends. She
can’t wait to have new experiences and try new things in the
college dance environment.
Aurora Giacobbe
The New School, New York City
Major: Film and Media Production
Aurora has been involved in the arts since a young age and
continued this involvement during her time at St. Francis. She
took Theatre Arts her freshman year and has been in Honors SF
Players since. She performed in the One-Act at Lenaea Theatre
Festival all three years she has been in the class and has also
competed in the Musical Theatre category at the festival, winning
bronze for her piece twice. Aurora has also assistant directed
two shows at St. Francis; the 2018 production of Chicago and this
past fall’s production of The Tempest. Last year, Aurora had the
opportunity to create a short film for her capstone project
titled The St. Francis Experience. She co-wrote, co-directed, and
edited the film for class, also writing a research essay
regarding the project. Aurora is continuing her love for
storytelling and the arts in college by majoring in film, as she
hopes to pursue a career in film or television production.
Mackenzie Holmes
Dodge College of Film and Media Arts-Chapman University,
Orange
Major: Creative Producing
Mackenzie has been involved in theatre at SF for the past four
years. She has been in quite a few productions at St.Francis; her
roles this past year included Gonzalo in The Tempest and Eulalie
Mckecknie Shinn in The Music Man. She is extremely thankful for
her teachers especially Kiera Anderson for pushing her to pursue
her passions in film. Mackenzie is excited to be attending
Chapman University in the Dodge College as a creative producing
major!
Madigan Hunt
Chapman University,
Orange
Major: Screenwriting
Madigan has been writing creatively since she could hold a
notebook and pen. In 2015, she self-published her first novel and
has been participating annually in National Novel Writing Month
ever since. During the summer of 2017, she was accepted into The
University of Virginia’s Young Writers Program – an intensive
workshop with classes spanning fiction to screenwriting – where
she continued to grow her portfolio of creative works. Throughout
her years of schooling, she’s written for school newspapers and
broadcast shows, and currently holds the position of Copy Editor
of the St. Francis yearbook. Off-campus, she runs a writing blog
where she posts short stories, poetry, and various tips or
writing events. Her decision to pursue a career in writing for
film and television shouldn’t come as a surprise to her friends
who’ve had to listen to her rant about character development in
every show they watch, and she’s extremely excited to make a
difference in the world of screenwriting.
Julia Long
Sierra College,
Rocklin
Major: Art History
Minor: Photography
Julia is a member of the SF Art Club. She has taken Honors Art
History, AP Studio Art, and photography classes during her years
at St. Francis. She is inspired by the world and people around
her. Throughout her life she has been encouraged to pursue her
love of art by her family and friends.
Madison Reyes
University of San Francisco
Major: Design
Madison has been passionate about all mediums of art for her
whole life, engaging in painting and drawing at a very young age;
however, her main passion for digital art stemmed from her love
of watching cartoons, animated movies, and music videos as a kid.
At the age of ten, she convinced her parents to buy her a drawing
tablet and self-taught herself new techniques through online
resources and a lot of practice. Since then, she’s grown to see
the world through a new lens, appreciating design and visual
aesthetics more than the average person. In high school, Madi was
able to pursue her passion for art and design through AP Studio
Art, her role as the editor of the St. Francis yearbook, and
creating designs for club t-shirts and other items for students
on campus. She was also voted Most Artistic by her classmates at
junior prom! In her free time, she ventures into trying
everything from designing tattoos and music promotion material to
posting original drawings on her Instagram account centered
around her art. She thanks her parents and friends for supporting
her passion projects and encouraging her to pursue her dreams.
Molly Southard
Northern Arizona University,
Flagstaff
Major: Interior Design
Molly has been a part of tech for the past four years. She has
enjoyed her time in various dance, choir, and art classes
throughout the years. She was heavily involved in homecoming:
both with her class decorations and lighting for all of the
classes. She has been able to explore different aspects of
theatre while at St. Francis including stage management and
scenic design. She won Outstanding Set Design in this past year’s
Lenaea festival for her set design of The Tempest. Molly is very
thankful for the various people she has been able to work with
for the past four years and the lasting friendships she has made.
She is very excited to be studying interior design at Northern
Arizona University in the fall.
Neda Tajlil
Sacramento State University,
Sacramento
Major: Film
Neda Tajlil is excited to be majoring in film at Sacramento State
University in the fall. She has always wanted to be involved in
the film industry. She will explore cinematography, screenplay,
and film theory at university. She developed her passion for the
arts by taking several theatre classes at SFHS. She has taken
Acting One her freshman year, Theatre Arts her sophomore year,
and SF Players her junior year. During junior year, Neda went to
the Lenaea Theatre Festival with her class for the first time.
They won gold for their one-act entitled girl. Neda developed her
passion for filmmaking when she and her classmates explored it in
one of her theatre classes. She was inspired to become a film
major due to her many wonderful experiences with the arts at
SFHS.
Kathryn Uliana
University of South Wales or University of Chester
(Undecided)
Major: Theatre
Kathryn has been doing arts at St. Francis all four years. She
sang with the Chamber Choir, performed in Honors Theater Arts,
and in the St. Francis shows. Her favorite arts experience was
The Tempest.
