Juan Carlos Mosqueda Rosales, a Fresno State student from Orosi, took first place in the Cal State CREATE competition. His winning entry, “To My Self,” is a deeply personal presentation that explores loss through his identity as an undocumented student and reflects on his inspiration to find belonging beyond his external circumstance.

“Juan Carlos Mosqueda Rosales’ winning submission is a meaningful narrative that highlights the important differences in how we think about belonging by sharing his own understanding of it,” said Dr. Elizabeth Lowham, dean of the College of Social Sciences at Fresno State. “His submission provides a compelling visual journey that encourages us to think broadly about how we share our own journeys and about how we provide spaces that encourage belonging. I am also thrilled that his submission highlights the interdisciplinary skills, knowledge and approaches in which our students excel.”

When Mosqueda, who is majoring in city and regional planning, heard his name as the first-place winner, he called it an “expected surprise.” He explained that between his time spent on the details and his vulnerability in presenting his deepest thoughts and feelings, he felt confident in his submission.  Mosqueda also found visual inspiration in the 1989 movie “Rojo Amanecer,” which he watched in his Spanish 129 class.

“I spent a lot of time working on the storyboard and the best way to reflect on how I go about thinking about these kinds of things,” Mosqueda said. “My idea, then, was to take everyone on a little journey through my reflective mind.”

Mosqueda was the 2021 recipient of the Inspire Award from Central Valley Scholars. When he graduates in May, he will be the first in his family to receive a bachelor’s degree.

The first Cal State CREATE, a CSU-wide creative student event and competition organized by Cal State Innovate from the Office of the Chancellor, in collaboration with Adobe and Apple, took place virtually over two weeks this April. Cal State CREATE invited CSU students to explore what it means to belong through the use of creative tools to create a unique, personal artifact to submit to the competition for prizes. Over 360 people registered for the event, representing 21 of the 23 CSU campuses.

The kickoff event opened with a welcome by Dr. Wenda Fong, chair of the CSU Board of Trustees, followed by keynote speakers Michael J. Payton and Christopher J. Moore, both CSU alumni and active in the film and TV industries. The opening speakers each shared their experiences with belonging as they navigated their creative career journeys after college. After the inspirational opening speeches, Adobe design professionals hosted design bootcamps to give participants a foundation in the necessary creative tools to complete the competition deliverable — a single webpage created with Adobe Express telling their own story of finding belonging.

Cal State CREATE received over 50 entries from both individuals and groups to the competition from 11 different campuses. Submissions were reviewed by a team of volunteer judges from CSU campuses, Adobe and Apple, who evaluated all projects on visual storytelling, design elements, and format.

Cal State CREATE concluded on April 19 with a closing ceremony to highlight the diverse ways student participants depicted belonging and to announce the winning submissions. Both Jessica Nare, San Diego State University’s associate vice president for community and belonging, and Dr. Dilcie Perez, the CSU associate vice chancellor for student affairs, equity and belonging, shared observations on themes from the student submissions and personal anecdotes on belonging and community. Faith Sidlow, associate professor in the Department of Media, Communications and Journalism at Fresno State, announced the winners.

The other winners of the first Cal State CREATE are:

Cal State Innovate is grateful for the collaborative partnerships with Adobe and Apple and to CSU colleagues who helped to plan and promote the event, and hope to host the event again next spring.