Meet the Graduate
Meet Jennifer, a Film and Media Studies major, graduating from UC Irvine class of 2021! Jennifer is originally from San Jose, California. When asked why she decided to attend UC Irvine, Jennifer replied “I chose to go to UC Irvine because I felt it was the best school to prepare me for my career in social media and content creation. I wanted to dive into the campus life and opportunities! Also, the campus is beautiful. It’s located in Orange County only 10 minutes from the beach and 20 minutes from Disneyland! My favorite moments were attending the UCI basketball games at the Bren Events Center, and checking out the Irvine Spectrum Center and Laguna Beach.”
During her time at UC Irvine, Jennifer also volunteered with the UCI chapter of the Prison Education Project, where she was given the opportunity to teach classes in Juvenile Halls for boys ages 13-18 in San Diego and Indio, CA.
Q&A Time
What is your favorite thing to do in the summer?
“I love going to the beach (Santa Cruz!) and going to the gym in my hometown. In the past few years, I’ve gotten into yoga and indoor cycling. I enjoy walking my dogs: Maggie and Kaya, and going for nice hikes!”
If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
“Creative, fun, and driven.”
Why did you decide to take graduation photos?
“My graduation photos represent true closure from this important chapter in my life. When I look at my graduation photos, I think about how I was able to make my parents and family proud. I’m a first generation college graduate, and because of the pandemic my graduation was moved to an online format. So with these photos, I was able to experience feeling of a true graduate and get my special moment that I felt I earned with my hard work.”
What is one goal you’d like to accomplish during your life?
“I want to give back to other first generation, LGBTQ+, and community college transfer students in some way. Whether that’s through continuing my work with non-profits or working for a company with a strong philanthropic mission that I can get behind.”
What’s something my readers would be surprised to learn about you?
“I’m a photographer myself and documentary filmmaker, and I love taking portraits of my friends and loved ones!”
The Shoot
Like many graduating students, Jennifer was forced to finish her college education online due to the pandemic. When she first reached out, she mentioned she would like a nice outdoor location that somewhat would resemble Aldrich Park at UCI. After some research, we settled on Vasona Lake County Park in Los Gatos.
Wether you want to take your kids for a safe paved bike ride, or you feel the need to burn off some energy by running along the giant lake, Vasona Park is a great place to visit. I personally enjoy seeing the park change colors throughout the year. For our session with Jennifer, the park was nice a green. The golden orange light of the setting sun providing a beautiful backdrop.
Below are some of our favorite UC Irvine grad photos from our session with Jennifer. Enjoy!
WOW! I’m so happy with the photos and session I received from Sergio. From our first email until receiving the photos, Sergio was professional, kind, responsive, and clearly he is very talented! I got the “Deluxe” Grad Package due to my graduation being moved to a virtual ceremony, and Sergio made sure that I had the BEST pictures to celebrate my accomplishment with.
Jennifer
Sergio made me feel comfortable the entire shoot, offering ideas for poses and having the best positive attitude! I liked every single picture he sent me, and with the package I was able to download 40 and order several prints. I feel beautiful in my photos and I’m so glad I chose Sergio to work with for my graduation shoot.
Thank you for making me feel special for my big day! 🙂
Estrada Photos is wedding and portrait photography company based out of Sacramento California, with coverage expanding throughout greater parts of the Bay Area. We specialize in weddings, family portraits, senior portraits, and engagement sessions. We take pride in capturing each of our clients personality, and creating beautiful imagery that will last a lifetime. For more information about our services, click here.
