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Cal State CREATE: You Belong Here A collaborative event with Adobe + Apple

What is Cal State CREATE?

Cal State CREATE is a CSU-wide creative event and competition in collaboration with Adobe and Apple. Similar to Adobe Creative Jams, CSU students of all majors have the opportunity to explore creative tools and design a unique, personal project that is eligible for prizes. The event is also open to the public, with keynote presentations by CSU leadership, industry moguls, and inspirational alumni.

The event started on Wednesday, April 5, 2023, with featured keynote speakers and concluded on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, with an award ceremony. Specialized workshops were scheduled within the event to help participants enhance their creative toolkits and interact with creative industry professionals. Students had the option to put their imagination to the test and participate in a design competition for prizes from our industry partners.

The Competition: How Do You Define Belonging?

The theme, which couldn't have been more appropriate for the time, was "How do you define belonging? Is it family, friends, a club/organization? Maybe it's your major or a geographic place that feels like home? However you experience a sense of belonging, we invite you to visually tell your story."

Students participated in a visual design competition solo or in a maximum group of three to create an artifact with Adobe Express that told their personal story of belonging. Read all about the requirements and download the competition brief.

Press

The inaugural competition received widespread press, including a featured story of the winning project. Keynote speaker, Jessica Nare of SDSU, was also invited to speak about her work in belonging and her experience with Cal State Create at a roundtable hosted by the Chronicle of Higher Education at the ASU + GSV conference in San Diego, April 2023.

Congratulations to the Winners!

Congratulations to the winners of the first Cal State CREATE:

First Place- “To My Self” by Juan Carlos Mosqueda Rosales from Fresno State

Second Place- “How I Found Belonging At Cal Poly As A Queer Woman Of Color” by Anusha Sowda from Cal Poly

Third Place (tied)- “Where Do I Belong?” by Imani McEwan from CSU Dominguez Hills

Third Place (tied)- “Asian-American Artists United” - by Samuel Louie, Katie Tam, and Lyndsey Park from Cal Poly

Cal State CREATE by the Numbers

Couldn't Attend Live?

If you had class, work, or other commitments and could not attend Cal State CREATE sessions, you can watch the recordings on the Cal State CREATE YouTube Playlist! Please note that sessions with Apple employees were NOT recorded.

Opening Sessions

Creativity & Belonging: Journeys- featuring Wenda Fong of the CSU Board of Trustees and keynotes Christopher J. Moore, and Michael J. Payton, 59 min.

Create an Engaging Visual Story- featuring Donna Caldwell of Adobe, 62 min.

How to Maximize Your Workflow with Adobe Express on iPad- featuring Donna Caldwell of Adobe, 56 min.

Closing Sessions

Celebrating Belonging in the CSU- featuring Dr. Dilcie Perez of the Chancellor's Office and Jessica Nare of SDSU, 46 min.

Creative Career Pathways: Five Lessons I Learned From My CSU College Life- featuring Rachel Elnar of Adobe, 35 min.

Closing Ceremony and Winner Announcements- featuring Faith Sidlow of Fresno State, 6 min.

'"In the 21 years I have had the pleasure of living this life, I have found that it's where I am helping others express their creativity is where I belong most." - Cal State Fullerton participant 

Keep Creating With Adobe Express

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YouTube Express Channel

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Adobe Express Blog

Explore design trends and how-tos, marketing tips, and branding wisdom to make your content stand-out

April 5-19, 2023

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