Applied Digital Media Students Place at the American Advertising Awards

Moreno Valley College had two Applied Digital Media students place in the 2024 American Advertising student competition. The American Advertising Awards is the advertising industry's largest and most representative competition, attracting more than 40,000 entries every year in local ad club competitions. The mission of the American Advertising Awards is to recognize and reward the creative spirit of excellence in the art of advertising.

Michelle Reyes Mendoza won a silver ADDT award. By placing second, she advanced to the regional division of the competition. Meanwhile, Derya Emanet placed third, winning a bronze award. Both students ended their experience by being featured in news stories that aired on NBC (San Diego) and Telemundo (San Diego and San Francisco).

Mendoza, 21, is a graduate of Moreno Valley High School. Her submission was a mock poster of the Disneyworld Annual Epcot International Food and Wine Festival from her Illustration class project.

“When I found out that I had won a Silver Addy Award, it made me feel so accomplished and proud of myself because I made a piece that represented, not only my skills, but also my worth as a designer who has had my share of challenges in life itself,” said Mendoza, who plans on pursuing a degree in graphic design. “After taking multiple classes, I had such a fun time with the project. I have challenged my ability to new heights that I never thought would go that far.”

Mendoza said her biggest take away from designing is “that even the smallest doodles you make in between classes or the doodles that you think are not great can lead to that one project you'll find joy from and learn new techniques or media in the process; never limit yourself to a single media - go and explore until you find the one that fits you and makes you happy.”

“Even though there is a chance that my piece won't be chosen again and move on to the next round, I still believe and hope there's a chance I may end up with the same result as this time or even better; it won't hurt to try,” she said. “Either way, this won't be my last competition, only just the beginning.”

Meanwhile, with a third-place finish, Emanet just missed out on advancing in the competition.

Emanet, 21, is a graduate of Canyon Springs High School. Like Mendoza, she also submitted a mock poster of Disneyworld Annual Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.

“This was my first experience submitting in a competition like this and being recognized for my work made me very proud of myself,” she said. “Although I will not be moving on to the next round, receiving the bronze award has motivated me to try again next time so that I can do even better.”

A graphic design major, Emanet says her career focus is on becoming a creative director working in the music industry.

“My biggest takeaway from designing is learning how to be a more effective problem solver and communicator,” Emanet said. “As designers, we are faced with a design problem for which we have to come up with an effective visual solution. We must be able to communicate with an audience very intentionally. Being a designer has allowed me to learn more about how people react to different stimuli and how to relay a thought or idea most effectively to an audience.”