Julia Pavón Named CIMS 2021 College Prize Recipient
The Cinema & Media Studies Program is proud to announce that we have named Julia Pavón as our 2021 College Prize Recipient. Julia will graduate Cum Laude this May with a degree in Cinema & Media Studies. She is a member of the BU Kilachand Honors College where she completed a Senior Keystone project writing a Television pilot for a period situational comedy, and is also a member of the BU’s Women’s Rugby team.
Thrilled at the chance to study in a city rich with history, Julia left her native Knoxville, TN and arrived at BU in the Fall of 2017. Although she began as a Chemistry major, she seemed destined to study Cinema & Media. As a child growing up in Knoxville Julia was surrounded by countless movie theaters. “Think too many theaters in one place, and then add 5 more”, she said. She remembers film being a huge part of growing up; from her mother taking she and her little brother to the movies every weekend and lunching on popcorn, to her first job at Regal Entertainment Group’s flagship location, a position which exposed her to films she wouldn’t have otherwise paid for, and allowed her to watch her most beloved films multiple times. During her first semester on campus, she found she was unsatisfied in Chemistry, and confided in a friend who, after hearing her talk about her interest in film, suggested she look into the Cinema & Media Studies program. She immediately changed her major and “never looked back”.
Outside of the classroom, she was impressed with the opportunities that the city and BU presented in terms of film screenings. Although she feels that the pandemic has stifled her ability to take full advantage of these opportunities during her time in Boston, she encourages other students to get out there when the world begins to slowly re-open. “Take advantage of screenings you don’t even know if you’ll like and I promise, even if you hate it, you’ll still learn something new every time.”
Upon graduating from BU, she will enter the US Navy as a Student Naval Flight Officer in June. After the 8 year Naval commitment, she says she’s keeping her options open and may pursue opportunities in film. If there’s one thing she knows for certain: a good movie and popcorn will always be a part of her future.