Scholars in the Arts
"I am fascinated by the breadth of Art History and by how painting teaches a culture about itself."
Stephen Olsen
“I've learned so much and also had so much (that I thought I knew) illumined by the first two years of my college education. I can only imagine where it all goes from here, beyond my sophomoric knowledge! I am very excited.”
- Program: 2011 Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Recipient
- Hometown: Appleton, WI
- Community College: Santa Monica College
- Four-year College or University: Brown University
- Academic/Career Pursuits: Education / Academia, Film, Government, Media / Communications / Marketing, Politics and Diplomacy, Psychology / Therapy, Public Policy, Public Services, Writing / Journalism, Evolutionary Psychology, Radio Production, Filmmaker, Radio host
- Other Interests: Film / Photography, Foreign Languages / International Study, Government, Honor Society, Philosophy, Police Officer / Criminal Justice, Sciences, Student Government, Tutoring / Mentoring, Volunteer Work, Writing / Journalism, Singing, Dancing, Comedy, Music (Piano, Music Composition), Reading (Historical Documents, Student of the U.S. Constitution), Public Affairs, Public Speaking, Visiting Museums, Listening to the Radio
Biography
Profile: Stephen Olsen is the first member of his family to attend college...and he has set the bar high for kin following him to higher education. He’ll be trading one ocean for the other, as he’ll be attending
Inspiration: Stephen’s aforementioned best friend from his childhood who died a few years ago drives Stephen to succeed and is the main reason he began college. “My friend taught me so much about life,” said Stephen. His inspiration on campus at SMC was Professor David Phillips.
Aspiration: A born communicator, Stephen hopes to eventually share his education via films and radio to masses that may never be able to receive a formal college education. He also loves to write, and someday may pen a novel or screenplay. There is also the possibility of his remaining in academia as a professor.
Making a Difference: The achievement of which Stephen is most proud is that students from all walks of life approach him on the SMC campus and tell him how his story has inspired them. His “story” is how a man from a blue-collar, working class family in Wisconsin can achieve great things through hard work and determination. Two years after beginning at SMC “I've been admitted to Columbia, Brown, and Berkeley demystifying for me the lie that people in my social class have any less in-born ability to learn.” That special “ah hah” moment for Stephen occurred as he prepared to graduate from SMC. “I'll never forget when a student approached me on campus and identified himself as ‘undocumented.’ His eyes welled up while he told me that he was inspired by my wish to improve life for people and also about the things that he's doing to try to improve life for people. I am proud to have had that conversation.”
Accolades: Stephen is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, and SMC’s Board of Trustees also honored him for being the first ever SMC student to earn JKCF Scholar status. Stephen was recently presented an Award of Appreciation by the Associated Students for his dedication and service to both student government and the students at SMC.
Interesting Fact: “I was most known in high school for being able to sing and dance like Michael Jackson.”
Other Scholars Like Stephen
Namema Amendi
Undergraduate Transfer Scholar
Columbia University
Alexandra Zaleta
Graduate Scholar
Washington University in St. Louis
Jean-Blaise Ognong
Undergraduate Transfer Scholar
Georgetown University
Claudia Moreno
Graduate Scholar
Northwestern University