Hollyhock House at Barnsdall Art Park
Perched atop Olive Hill, the Hollyhock House stands as one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most significant West Coast works and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built in the early 1920s for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall, the home represents Wright’s experimentation with blending architecture and environment, what he called “organic architecture.”

�þ��� explored the house’s Mayan Revival influences, geometric motifs and the iconic hollyhock flower design woven throughout the structure. The site offered a powerful introduction to how Los Angeles became a testing ground for architectural innovation, especially during a time when the city was rapidly expanding and redefining itself culturally.

Downtown Los Angeles: Layers of History and Movement
Traveling via the Los Angeles Metro, students experienced the city as Angelenos do, through its evolving public transit system, before diving into the heart of downtown.

Union Station – Opened in 1939, Union Station is often called the “Last of the Great Railway Stations.” Its architecture blends Spanish Colonial Revival, Mission Revival, and Art Deco styles, reflecting Los Angeles’s layered cultural identity. Inside, students observed the grandeur of its waiting rooms, tiled floors, and wooden beam ceilings, symbols of a bygone era when rail travel defined urban movement.

Angels Flight – Just a short walk away, Angels Flight, the world’s shortest railway, offered insight into the city’s early 20th-century infrastructure. Originally built in 1901, the funicular once transported residents up Bunker Hill, a neighborhood that has since undergone dramatic redevelopment. Its preservation speaks to ongoing efforts to maintain pieces of Los Angeles’ historic fabric amid modernization.

Los Angeles City Hall & Chinatown
At City Hall, students discussed civic architecture and governance, noting the building’s Art Deco style and symbolic prominence in the LA skyline. Nearby Chinatown provided a contrasting cultural lens, highlighting immigrant histories, urban displacement and the evolution of ethnic enclaves in Los Angeles.

Olvera Street
Often referred to as the birthplace of Los Angeles, Olvera Street immerses visitors in Mexican-American heritage. �þ��� explored its marketplace, murals and historic buildings while discussing the complexities of cultural preservation versus commercialization. The site reflects both celebration and simplification of heritage, an important conversation in art and public history.

Angelus Temple & Echo Park
In Echo Park, students visited Angelus Temple, a striking example of early 20th-century religious architecture and a cornerstone of the Foursquare Church movement founded by evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson. Built in 1923, the temple reflects a blend of revivalist architecture and emerging media-savvy religious practices, as McPherson was one of the first to use radio to reach a national audience.

The surrounding Echo Park neighborhood added another layer to the visit, offering insight into how communities evolve over time. Once a streetcar suburb, Echo Park has transformed into a culturally vibrant area shaped by waves of immigration, artistic communities, and, more recently, gentrification. Together, the site and neighborhood sparked discussion on the intersection of faith, media and urban change.

The Gamble House
In Pasadena, students visited the Gamble House, a masterpiece of the American Arts and Crafts movement designed by architects Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene in 1908. Commissioned by the Procter & Gamble family, the home emphasizes craftsmanship, natural materials, and harmony with its surroundings.

�þ��� examined intricate woodwork, custom furnishings, and the intentional use of light and space—hallmarks of the Arts and Crafts philosophy, which emerged as a reaction against industrialization. The visit provided a striking contrast to Wright’s modernism, allowing students to compare different architectural responses to similar cultural shifts.

Looking ahead: Final excursions
As the semester continues, students will expand their exploration of the city’s artistic and architectural landscape with one final site visit.
The course will conclude with a visit to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry. Celebrated for its sweeping stainless-steel forms and innovative acoustics, the building stands as a defining example of contemporary architecture in Los Angeles. Here, students will consider how modern design continues to push artistic and structural boundaries while shaping the city’s global cultural identity.

These excursions bring course themes to life, allowing students to critically engage with Los Angeles as a living museum. From early 20th-century architectural movements to the layered cultural histories embedded in downtown neighborhoods and beyond, each site offers a unique perspective on how art and environment shape one another.

By navigating the city firsthand, students not only deepen their understanding of art history but also develop a stronger connection to LA itself—its stories, its communities and its ever-evolving identity.

The immersive Study USA Los Angeles semester and summer experiences offer students opportunities for alumni engagement, community service, unique academic classes with industry professionals and site-based experiential learning. .

In December, as Anderson presented the agency’s Gold Bear Award – a peer-driven recognition celebrating employees who best represent the company’s culture and values – he lauded Young’s willingness to take on “massive responsibilities,” commending her ability to “effortlessly power through high-pressure projects.”

“She’s the person everyone turns to for answers and support, uplifting every team she touches and quietly cleaning up problems that aren’t even hers to solve,” Anderson told audience members.

As he concluded and Young’s name flashed across the massive screen behind him, the room erupted in applause – a moment captured in a video Young shared on her LinkedIn page.

The award capped off a standout year for Young, who serves as an assistant producer at TBWA\Media Arts Lab, the global network of agencies responsible for one of the world’s most iconic brands, Apple. Her year included work on major Apple-related projects such as the Mac for �þ��� campaign, the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Dua Lipa’s “Shot on iPhone” tour and Apple TV rebranding efforts.

Reflecting on that work, Young said the experience has been both challenging and rewarding.

“I am so incredibly grateful for these experiences and the amazing, incredibly talented teams behind them,” she said, noting how meaningful it was to be part of such high-profile, creatively ambitious work.

Young’s path to TBWA\Media Arts Lab began at Elon, where a DEI in Hollywood class helped shape her professional direction. Encouraged by former Elon faculty members J. McMerty and Rachel Ramist, she applied for and landed an internship with the Television Academy. That experience, along with her participation in the Elon in LA program, led her to move to Los Angeles after graduation. Once on the West Coast, she first worked as a personal assistant, then as a production coordinator at a social media marketing company.

As Young began thinking about her next step, a recruiter from TBWA\Media Arts Lab contacted her about a production coordinator role in the agency’s broadcast production department. During interviews, she learned that her internships – especially with the Television Academy and RadicalMedia – helped her stand out. She was offered the position and later moved into her current role, where she supports lead producers to ensure projects run smoothly from start to finish.

As part of her work, Young organizes security plans, tracks creative assets, coordinates meetings with production companies, and supports communication among producers in editorial, finishing and mix. Her goal, she said, is to make sure every project has what it needs to succeed.

Working at a global creative agency has reshaped how Young views storytelling. She said she was surprised by how much care goes into even the shortest pieces of content. Creative teams analyze work frame by frame, fixing even the smallest details before releasing it into the world. Seeing that process firsthand has made her more aware of the thought, precision and responsibility behind creative work.

When she learned she had received the Gold Bear Award, Young said she felt grateful more than anything else. “I consider myself lucky to work with the teams I have,” she said. “The whole production team is a bunch of rockstars, not to mention our creative department and account teams. To be recognized by them makes me feel like I am doing something right.”

As she reflects on her journey from Elon to one of the world’s most influential creative agencies, Young emphasizes the importance of attitude, effort and openness to opportunity. Her advice to current Elon students is simple: say yes often and show that you are willing to work. Some of the best projects, she said, come from teams who are fully committed to making something great – and who bring a positive attitude, even when things get stressful.

“What I’ve found in internships and entry-level roles is that folks who show that they are passionate and team-oriented seem to do well,” Young said. “When I first started at MAL, the people who stood out to me, who had clearly left their mark on the agency, were those who were team players, focused on supporting others and achieving the best final result.”

This new, customized workshop also presented an opportunity for Elon LA students to learn from and share the creative process with a group of students from other study-away LA colleges and universities, who, along with �þ��� Los Angeles, are members of a coalition of nearly 20 schools that offer semester-in-LA programs. Each semester, Elon LA and these other schools share professional development opportunities for students, allowing them to mix, mingle, network and learn together.

Each semester, Elon students explore and discover Los Angeles and the diversity of professional career opportunities that await them through academic classes with professors who work in the industries that align with their courses, immersive, site-based experiential learning, alumni engagement and community service.

Applications for the Study USA Los Angeles spring 2027 Creative Industries & Community Experience open on April 1. �þ��� can visit the  to learn more and to begin the application process.

Associate Dean of Global Education, Jessica Gisclair, said Study USA focuses on experiences that connect students to place.

“The LA theme explores a dynamic city and the vibrant creative industries that shape community,” said Gisclair.

The theme is especially relevant as Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 Summer Olympics.

“�þ��� will have professional opportunities and build an understanding of the LA community and its preparation leading up to the Olympics,” Gisclair added.

The aim is to help students see how storytelling, media, and the arts influence industries, environments, and culture in one of the world’s top media and entertainment centers, especially in the context of a global event like the Summer Olympics.

The LA program will offer a range of location-based courses taught by industry professionals in Los Angeles that reflect the theme, including COM 4000: Media Law and Ethics, CTA 3670: Master Class in Directing, ARH 3000: Los Angeles Art History, and COM 3350: Sport and Media, a course introduced in connection with the upcoming Olympic Games.

Study USA is a signature domestic away program that provides immersive academic experiences in cities across the United States. The program enables students to explore various industries, cultures, and communities while interning and earning academic credit. Its strength lies in students living and learning together while taking location-based courses and engaging with professionals, alums, and organizations connected to �þ���.

The Study USA team will be on campus to share information, assist with the application process, and help students determine if the LA experience aligns with their academic and career goals. Study USA team members are also available to visit classes and introduce Study USA LA: The Creative Industries and Community Experience. �þ��� interested in pursuing careers in the creative economy will find a new opportunity in LA.

Applications for �þ���’s Study USA LA Spring 2027 program open on April 1. Visit the website to learn more and begin your application.

The gathering, held at The Belmont in West Hollywood, brought together an enthusiastic group of alumni, many of whom had participated in the Elon LA semester experience during their Elon academic journeys.

Current students shared internship and academic class experiences with their new Elon connections. Many took advantage of the opportunity to request meetings later this semester with individual alumni as a part of the Elon Los Angeles “Coffee with an Alumnus” program.

The immersive Study USA Los Angeles semester and summer experiences offer students opportunities for alumni engagement, community service, unique academic classes with industry professionals, and site-based experiential learning.  for Spring 2027 open April 1.

In accordance with the terms of their grants, alumna Bex Evans ’16, Julie Boyd ’15 and Mirai ’07 have each created opportunities for spring students to participate in and/or observe both their pre-production process and on-set work.

Pre-production of all three short films is slated to begin this week, with production to start shortly thereafter. Production of all three films will be completed by the end of the Los Angeles spring semester in April. The three short films will have their world premiere this July at the first �þ��� Los Angeles Alumni Short Film Festival.

Through Study USA�����Ի���National �þ��� Programs, �þ��� Los Angeles offers an immersive spring and summer semester of academic classes, experiential learning, professional development and community service opportunities for students with a variety of majors. For information about the Los Angeles experience and 2027 opportunities, please visit the �����Ի���National �þ��� Programs���ɱ�������ٱ��.

A Saturday morning orientation introduced students to the Elon Los Angeles home base at The Preserve, in Hollywood, and included presentations by all of this semester’s faculty about their courses and the content of their classes.

Returning instructors include director and long-time Elon LA professor Boris Schaarschmidt, who is once again �þ��� a directing masterclass. Entertainment attorney Daniel Spitz has returned to teach Media Law and Ethics, and writer and longtime Elon LA professor Matthew Antonelli has returned to teach a unique, one-evening master seminar in March, called Inside the Writer’s Room.

New to the Elon Los Angeles faculty team this semester are art historian and educator Charles Peterson, who is �þ��� a course in Los Angeles art and architecture history, and award-winning global strategist, thought leader and educator Brandon Shamim, who is �þ��� “Principles of Management,” with a Los Angeles focus.

�þ��� Los Angeles director and long time industry professional Brad Lemack is once again �þ��� the experiential learning course this spring, which focuses student internship experiences on work culture, industry shifts and transitions, and professional development.

Elon Los Angeles program assistant and Elon alumna Macy Mills ‘23 led students on their first excursion this semester after orientation, with an immersive day of LA experiences at the world class Getty Center, followed by a visit to the historic Los Angeles Farmer’s Market and The Grove, at Third and Fairfax.

In addition to unique academic classes and internships, this spring semester experience for students will also include a day of community service at the Hollywood Food Coalition, alumni engagement gatherings and the opportunity to participate in and/or observe the production of the three short films being produced by the Elon LA-based alumni recipients of the 2025-26 �þ��� Los Angeles Alumni Short Film Competition.

Through and National �þ��� Programs, �þ��� Los Angeles offers immersive spring and summer semester programs for students with a variety of majors. For information about the Los Angeles experience and 2027 opportunities, please visit the and National �þ��� Programs websites.

The 2025-26 Los Angeles Alumni Short Film Grant competition was open to all Los Angeles-based Elon alumni to submit proposals this past fall for consideration for production funding. A selection committee comprised of both industry professionals and Elon alumni was assembled to read, review and rank all proposals received. From those rankings, the top three highest-ranked projects were selected to receive grants. Grant funding was made possible, in part, by the financial support from members of the Elon Los Angeles alumni community and others.

The three grant recipients are Julia Boyd ’15, for her short film “The Life and Times of …”, Mirai ’07, for her short film “#StopAsianKate” and Bex Evans ’16, for their short film “Shadow Dusk.”

Production of these funded projects will commence in early 2026. As a component of the grant requirements, filmmakers will make opportunities available to �þ��� Los Angeles Spring 2026 students to participate in their projects through direct set experience and/or production observation. Elon Los Angeles program assistant and alumna Macy Mills ’23 and alumnus Jordan Roman ’15 were co-chairs of this year’s grant competition.

The selection committee members included Emmy Award-winning writer, producer and showrunner (“Lost,” House,” “The Good Wife”) Elon parent Leonard Dick P’20 (father of Julie Dick ’20), Emmy Award-winning producer Marsha Posner Williams (“The Golden Girls”), actor Eric Rollins, and LA-based alumni Frankie Campisano ’16, Mia Ginae Watkins ’16, Lauren Duncan ’18 and Alyssa Needham ’19.

The three short films funded will have their world premieres at the first �þ��� Los Angeles Alumni Short Film Festival in late July 2026.

Emmy Award-winning writer, producer and showrunner (“Lost,” House,” “The Good Wife”) and Elon parent Leonard Dick P’20 (father of Julie Dick ’20), Emmy Award-winning producer Marsha Posner Williams (“The Golden Girls”) and actor Eric Rollins will join with Elon LA-based alumni filmmakers award- Frankie Campisano ’16, Mia Ginae Watkins ’16, Lauren Duncan ’18 and Alyssa Needham ’19 to read, rank and judge the 2025-26 competition submissions received. The submission window for project proposals closed on Oct. 1.

Award recipients will be announced in early December 2026. Funded projects will require the alumni filmmakers to include the participation of students from the �þ��� Los Angeles spring 2026 semester experience in various production, performance and other capacities.

The three fund-supported films will have their premiere screenings in late July 2026 at the first �þ��� Los Angeles Alumni Film Festival.

Elon alumni Jordan Roman ‘15 and Macy Mills ‘23 (Mills also serves as �þ��� Los Angeles program assistant) are the short film grant project’s co-chairs.

The LA Study Away Collective works together as a group to share events and gatherings that students from all member schools can participate in. �þ��� from numerous study away LA programs have already participated in recent �þ��� Los Angeles-produced events, affording students the opportunity for exposure to some of the cutting-edge programming Elon Los Angeles is offering. �þ��� from different schools also have the opportunity to meet and connect with each other at these events throughout the year.

The �þ��� Los Angeles leadership gathering was co-hosted by Larry Bond, owner of The Preserve, Elon LA’s Hollywood home base. Bond led the group on an informative tour of the historic Paul Williams-designed building and grounds, sharing the history of the historic landmark.

While each school’s Los Angeles study away program is designed to provide a unique LA experience to their students, each program is also uniquely crafted to the academic and experiential learning mission, brand and goals of each school.

From Study USA and National �þ��� Programs, �þ��� Los Angeles has offered a semester-long, immersive academic, cultural, professional development, alumni engagement and community service program to Elon students since 2008.

Applications for the summer 2026 Los Angeles experience are now open. Interested students can attend a meet-and-greet gathering with Lemack, Mills, Study USA director Ronice Johnson-Guy and National �þ��� Programs director Ashley Pinney, and others, on Monday, Oct. 6, from 3 – 5 p.m., at Irazu, located in the Mosely Student Center

Study USA will also present a mini-fair on Wednesday, Oct. 7, from 3 – 5 p.m., in the Mosely Center, McKinnon Hall F, for students to learn more about all of the Study USA and National �þ��� Programs locations and opportunities.