Angelina Lim ’25, a film major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA), has been named a recipient of a 2024 Beinecke Scholarship. Lim is the fourth Beinecke Scholar in Syracuse University’s history.
The award provides graduate funding and mentorship for juniors in the arts, humanities or social sciences. The Beinecke Scholarship seeks to encourage and enable highly motivated students of exceptional promise to pursue graduate study in these fields. The Beinecke Scholarship works with approximately 135 participating institutions. Each school may nominate one candidate per year; the campus nomination process is highly competitive. This year, the Beinecke Scholarship Program selected 19 scholars.
Below, Lim talks about her studies as an aspiring cinematographer and her future plans.
One fantastic benefit the VPA film program offers is the opportunity to learn each individual role essential to filmmaking. For me, cinematography is the perfect blend of technical skills and artistic expression for the purpose of storytelling. I am looking forward to entering the industry, as there are more opportunities now than ever before.
As a first-generation college student, it has been a lifelong dream of mine to pursue graduate study. The funding that the Beinecke Scholarship provides helps turn that dream into a reality. Through the application process, I explored graduate programs and discovered opportunities that would not have been possible otherwise.
I have sought out many extracurricular activities, including volunteering for as many student sets as possible, attending guest lectures and reserving equipment over the summer to practice cinematography. I encourage everyone who is passionate about filmmaking to take advantage of all the opportunities Syracuse has to offer.
An amazing and unique aspect of filmmaking is that it is a collaborative art form. Spending every weekend with my peers on student sets has led to lifelong friendships, shared learning experiences and so much fun along the way.
In addition to providing the funding for OrangeReels, the Young Research Fellowship Program provides the mentorship and support needed to make the film festival possible. I’d also like to acknowledge my mentor, Professor Kelly Gallagher, who is instrumental to the success of OrangeReels. Because of the overwhelmingly positive feedback we received from our inaugural festival, OrangeReels is now an annual Syracuse University event and will continue to be an environment for student filmmakers to share their passion. OrangeReels 2024 is now accepting submissions for our September event (the festival will be held during Family Weekend).
I am excited to enroll in an MFA film program that allows me to focus on and develop my skills in cinematography. After completing my studies, it is my dream to become a professional cinematographer and mentor other young women interested in cinematography.
The Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) offers candidates advising and assistance with applications and interview preparation for nationally competitive scholarships. The nomination process for the 2025 Beinecke application will begin in October. Interested students should contact CFSA at 315.443.2759 or by email to cfsa@syr.edu for more information.
