Angy Moran, who appears on the cover of Summer 2019 Class Schedule, shares about overcoming depression and learning the tools of her trade at Palomar College.
SAN MARCOS — By the time Angy Moran’s bright smile went up on a Palomar College billboard beside Highway 78 last month, she had already learned visual storytelling here. She had worked at Palomar for two years and won two Emmy Awards for media she produced at the college.
Now Moran, 20, is up for five more Emmys in this year’s round of awards.
On a recent afternoon on campus, Moran said she hopes to transfer to California State University, Northridge to study film production and pursue a career in directing. And she shared about the difficulties that almost stopped her from attending college in the first place.
“To be honest, I didn’t think I’d live long enough to go to college,” said Moran. “I went through severe depression during high school, to the point where I wondered if I would really make it past 20. I didn’t have a plan after that.”
After picking up the pieces and moving to San Marcos, she came to Palomar in 2016 and took her first classes. In her second semester, she was in a class taught by Pat Hahn, a Digital Broadcast Arts (DBA) professor who has since retired.
“I went up to him on the first day of class—I was so nervous—I said, ‘Do you need an assistant?’” Moran recalled. “He said, ‘Boy, do I.’ That day, he started helping me through the process, and it’s thanks to him that I still have my job here.”
This week, Hahn remembered meeting Moran for the first time, describing her as “the quiet student sitting in the front of my class.”
“But this shy girl became my brilliant Office Assistant and the star of the class,” said Hahn. “Witnessing a student find themselves is one of a teacher’s greatest moments, and I’ll never forget Angy’s transformation. She hasn’t stopped smiling.”
Moran’s job as a student assistant has taken her all over the campus, from leading tours to a little bit of teaching—but it was her work behind the camera last year that attracted the most notice.
Moran wrote, produced and directed a short film called “We Will Listen,” which she designed as a public service announcement to reach teens struggling with depression. Her message: Your loved ones, your friends, want to help.
“As someone who went through that, it was something I just wanted to get out of my system,” she reflected. “It’s definitely a heavy topic for me, but I know I’m not the only one who’s struggled with it.”
[vimeo 307178222 w=640 h=360]
We Will Listen from Angy on Vimeo.
After winning two Emmy Awards last year for previous work at the college, she submitted “We Will Listen” and learned this week that she was nominated in five categories in this year’s round of Emmys.
“I’ve put a lot into this, because this is building up to who I’m going to be in the future,” said Moran. “Palomar has been great. I came with nothing, and I’m going to leave with so much. I’ve met some of the kindest, wisest people here, and I’ve had a great support system, from my friends to the faculty and mentors—they’ve gone above and beyond to ensure that I can succeed.”