The career panel at BAVC featured five panelists from different media careers who shared their journeys and advice. The panelists emphasized that it is okay not to know what you want to do and to explore your interests, as passion should be the driving force rather than money. Tracey Quezada's story of discovering her career path through humble beginnings and struggling jobs resonated with Aisha Fukushima. Robin Hunicke's message encouraged pursuing passions despite gender stereotypes. The panel aimed to inspire individuals to follow their unique career paths and pursue their passions.

1. RECAP: BAVC'S CAREER PANEL
Friday, December 13 2013
By Victoria Jimenez, Registrar
Careers are about the journey not the job.
BAVC’s latest career panel was a great experience and huge success. Our panelists this
year included Aisha Fukushima, Youth Coordinator at BAVC and Founder of RAPtivism,
Jonathan Stagnaro, Concept Artist for Present Creative, Casey Miner, News Producer
and Editor for KALW, Tracy Quezada, Producer/Director of Tracy Quzada Productions
and lastly, Robin Hunicke, Co-Founder of Funomena. Our panelist were brought together
today at CCSF Career Center to paint a portrait of how they built their careers.
The advice that traveled across every panelist’s experience was that it was okay not
know what you want to do right away and it was fine to explore your interests. As cliche
as that might sound, it is true. Aisha, our hip-hop activist, wasn't born holding a mic, our
concept artist Jonathan wasn't born sculpting clay and our video game entrepreneur
Robin wasn't born playing an Atari game system. They were children at one point. Some
knew what they wanted to do with their lives while other had no idea. People get caught
up on how much money they want to earn and will sacrifice their genuine interest for
something that they think will make them happy to later find out they are missing
something. The panelists emphasized that individuals can be successful in the area of
their interest as long as their passion is their driving force. It is important for a young
person to hear this advice because that can be a perspective that can influence their
decision on what career path to take.
Aisha Fukushima, Global singer, BAVC Youth Coordinator and Founder of RAPtivism

2. As a woman of color, I was really inspired by panelist Tracey Quezada's journey in
discovering what career she wanted to pursue. I related to her the most because she
came from a similar background as I did and I understand the struggles she faced. We
both had humble upbringings, we are both were first generation college graduates and
we both started working at a really young age at jobs we hated. Still, those experiences
shaped our career aspirations and our commitment to help others like us raise their
voices and tell their stories.
Tracey Quezada, Producer/Director, Tracey Quezada Productions
Panelist Robin Hunicke's presentation resonated well with me too because her message
encouraged young ladies in the audience to question gender stereotypes in the context
of women in the gaming industry. She also offered advice on how to address situations
where people are surprised to hear that there are women working, in what is currently, a
male-dominated field. Although theses prejudices are not easy to face, her passion for
creating games for the greater good allowed her to look past those challenges and really
focus on finding ways to help others connect with their community through interactive
media.
Robin Hunicke, Co-founder, Game Designer and Producer, Funomena

3. Overall, the career panel was an amazing opportunity for both students and job seekers
to get different perspectives on how get into the media industry and become successful
storytellers. BAVC’s goal with this career panel was to have youth understand that their
career path is unique. There is no prescription or road map for any one person’s career
path. We hope this career panel to inspired individuals to pursue their passion and focus
on a goal.
To learn more about our panelists, see their site below:
• Robin Hunicke, Co-founder, Game Designer and Producer, Funomena
• Jonathan Stagnaro, Concept Artist, Present Creative
• Casey Miner, News Producer/Editor and Youth Training Coordinator, KALW
• Tracey Quezada, Producer/Director, Tracey Quezada Productions
• Aisha Fukushima, Global singer, BAVC Youth Coordinator and Founder of
RAPtivism