Media studies and music dual major Isabel Li ’25 graduates from 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ this spring
By Lauren Mar ’25
If thereβs one thing that Isabel Li β25 has taken away from her 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ experience, it would be donβt hold back. Despite having played violin since she was four, Li was initially a media studies major with a music minorβsomething she changed this fall when she began working on her senior thesis film.
βI already had an idea of making a film about an Asian American cellist or classical musician because I’ve never seen that type of representation on film before,β Li says. βSince my thesis was always going to be a combination of media studies and music, I decided to switch to a dual major. My thesis blended my two interests with technical filmmaking and production skills.β
From Prague to Malaysia to 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪβ Denison Library: Growing as a global citizen
Inspired by her study abroad program in Prague in spring 2024, Li produced and directed a film centered on a mother and daughter who are Czech Vietnamese. The story references the Vietnamese diaspora migration to the Czech Republic following the Cold War and the Vietnam War. Li says that her programβs approachβusing limited rolls of analog film, shooting for hours at a time, planning every shot preciselyβhelped prepare her for her thesis film titled Play, Then.
βIt was intense, but Prague was amazing. It was difficult at first to adjust to a new environment, but I would love to go back to the Czech Republic,β she reflects.
Li working on her thesis film, Play, Then
Li also learned a lot about film budgeting from her study abroad experience. That spring, she applied for grants and received $4,500 from The Claremont Colleges Services, the Hive, and 5×5 Films, the 5Csβ student filmmaking organization. The senior is using her remaining grant funding to submit her thesis film to festivals. The entire process has helped Li figure out what type of filmmaking she wants to pursue.
βBeing able to work in an interdisciplinary environment and collaborate with all these great people who have different skill sets was something I fell in love with,β she says. βWhatever projects I do in the future, I want to be in that environment.β
Studying abroad in Prague was not Liβs first international academic experience. In the summer of 2023, she accompanied Associate Professor of Music Anne Harley on a research trip to Malaysia as part of a grant from ASIANetwork, an organization that promotes Asian studies programs at liberal arts colleges.
Being able to work in an interdisciplinary environment and collaborate with all these great people who have different skill sets was something I fell in love with.
Li and the other students gathered ethnographic interviews in the rainforests of Sabah, an eastern state of Malaysia, and created an experimental theater production. The performance illuminated the conditions of pollution and climate change in Malaysiaβs rainforests.
βSeeing the birds, plants, and animals that we can’t find anywhere else in the world was very eye-opening,β expresses Li.β βWitnessing the rainforests in Malaysia and Borneo specifically was pivotal because in 10 years they might be gone.β
Much like her senior thesis film, Li emphasizes the crucial connections she made with those on the research trip. She learned about the opportunity from Jennifer Martinez Wormser, director and Sally Preston Swan Librarian at Denison Library, who she had worked with the summer prior as part of her Ellen Browning 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ internship where she examined Ellen Browning 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪβ personal papers and helped create an interactive website of the archives. She presented her work at the Southern California Conference for Undergraduate Research and Stanford Undergraduate Research Conference and ultimately began working at Denison. Three years later, Li is now developing a video project about Ellen Browning 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ for the Collegeβs upcoming centennial in 2026.
Vision for life after 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ
Looking back on her time at 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ, Li says that she would not have been able to pursue so many opportunities without the support of the 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ students, staff, and faculty who championed her along the way.
βI’ve certainly valued the people and the community that have gotten me to this point,β she says. βMy voice is being championed in these spaces. The people in my classes and 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪβ interdisciplinary, intersectional environment have pushed my thinking and given me a more curious perspective.β
As for her plans after graduation, Li is open to a diverse range of possibilities. She hopes to receive a Fulbright grant to either return to the Czech Republic or a central European country. More broadly, Li hopes to pursue arts and community-oriented projects with purpose-driven advocacy. One potential path she sees to combine her interests is being a professor.
βDoing research, service, and engaging with students directly could be a way that I can take my interdisciplinary perspective and apply it in multifaceted ways. Iβve been so inspired by the professors here who not only teach, but also specialize in so many different areas,β she says.
Now in her last semester, Li is enjoying life without the stress of working on her thesis. She hosts a show at KSPC, the 5C radio station, where she features classical music. If one thing can be learned from Liβs impressive 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ experience, she reiterates, itβs the importance of being open to opportunities.
βI would tell any 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ student or even my younger self to say yes to anything that excites you,β Li reflects. βEven if it feels new and unusual, it’s worth giving a try.β