Emerson LA welcomes students for 2015-16

Matthew Ciampa '16 unloads his Subaru with help from student volunteers at Emerson Los Angeles on August 30. (Photo by Daryl Paranada)

Emerson College Los Angeles students moved into their new home for the next several months on August 30 during a sunny Southern California day.

For some students, like Elliot Friar ’16 and Desmond Mahoney ’17, it was their first time in California. The new suitemates enjoyed a meal together in the ELA kitchen after knowing each other for less than an hour.

“We walked out of our room on the 6^th floor and there was the Hollywood sign,” said Friar. “It was such a moment.”

Elliot Friar '16 and Desmond Mahoney '17 outside Emerson Los Angeles on Sunset Boulevard. (Photo by Daryl Paranada)

Friar and Mahoney said they were excited to explore the different neighborhoods in LA and start their internships. Friar is interning at the media company Fullscreen while Mahoney is waiting to hear back from a few internship sites.

“I’m looking forward to building connections,” said Mahoney, who hopes to become a director. “I haven’t had an internship in the industry yet, so it’s kind of like breaking the ice.”

Patrick Smith, director of development for Emerson Los Angeles, speaks with parents in the DiBona Family Distance Learning Center on Move-In Day. (Photo by Daryl Paranada)

Many students, like Illisa Greenberg ’15, drove across the country to make it in time for move-in day. Greenberg and her mother, Ellen, spent two weeks driving from New York to California.

“I’m a little sad to leave her,” said Ellen Greenberg. “She’s never been away from home for that long.”

Illisa Greenberg '15 and her mother, Ellen Greenberg, at Emerson LA. (Photo by Daryl Paranada)

Kelly Budish ‘15 didn’t need to drive very far. She had already made the long trek from Chicago to LA in May to intern over the summer at E! News and the production company Imagine Entertainment.

“It was an adjustment at first figuring out how to get around, but I’m used to it now,” said Budish.

Kelly Budish '15 and her father, Andrew Budish. (Photo by Daryl Paranada)

Matthew Ciampa ’16 and Evan Yee ’16, roommates since their first year at Emerson College, also drove cross-country with Ciampa’s Subaru packed to the brim with clothes and other items.

Yee said the strangest item he brought to LA was a tennis racket. Ciampa brought a drone.

“I figured I could use it up in the hills,” said Ciampa. who doesn’t know yet how to operate it.

“I’m so psyched to explore LA and start my internship,” he added. 

Student volunteers greet families during ELA's Move-In Day 2015. (Photo by Daryl Paranada)