Dayanara Saucedo’s journey to a USC diploma began with a simple question: How was school?
The questioner was Saucedo’s grandfather, Eduardo Rodriguez.
“He asked that question many times, every day. That was my earliest memory of him,” Saucedo said. “He was really invested in my education. He wanted me to do more than he could.”
A young Dayanara Saucedo shares a moment with her grandfather Eduardo Rodriguez. (Photo/Courtesy of Dayanara Saucedo)
Higher education was important to the family patriarch. He dreamed of his granddaughter being the first in the family to attend college — but it was a dream that probably seemed out of reach.
Saucedo’s parents, Mayra and Marcos Saucedo, immigrated from Mexico, settled in Los Angeles and found jobs they could find selling baked goods and washing dishes. Eventually, the Saucedos earned enough money to rent a two-bedroom apartment in south Los Angeles, where they raised their two daughters, Dayanara and Yelena.
Her apartment was just a block from USC – close but worlds away for family and eldest daughter Dayanara, who aspired to attend college and be an artist.
“There weren’t a lot of opportunities to do something with art or visual arts at my school,” she said. “The school just didn’t have the funding for it: the programs were either cut back or didn’t exist.”
Then fate struck.
During her visit to the Foshay Learning Center, then 11-year-old Dayanara was spotted by a member of USC’s Leslie and William McMorrow Neighborhood Academic Initiative (NAI). The program helps bridge the gap between low-income, high-performing students and access to higher education.
“Many of our NAI grantees find motivation in the NAI program to overcome multiple barriers to access higher education,” said Kim Thomas-Barrios, associate senior vice president of USC Educational Partnerships. “The NAI exists to support scholars in the community on their journey to college, beginning in fifth grade and culminating in their first bachelor’s degree.”
The seven-year preparatory college-enrichment program is designed to prepare students from south and east Los Angeles for admission to any college or university, including USC.
Saucedo invested more than 100 hours a year during the NAI Saturday Academies for seven years, studying writing, math and science and learning every step of the process to successfully apply to and attend college.
“We don’t call it sacrifice, but we’re trying to fit in the fact that what the students and families are doing is investing,” Thomas-Barrios said.
“We are very fond of motivational quotes at NAI and we start our Saturday Academies with them. In this case, I would like to quote President Abraham Lincoln who said, “If I only had an hour to chop down a tree, I would spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my axe.”
“These kids and families are sharpening the tools they need to get to and through college.”
Grandfather’s constant support
Saucedo’s grandfather was a constant support, giving him daily encouragement throughout the arduous process.
“He was there to make sure I never gave up,” Saucedo said.
In 2017, the hard work paid off when Saucedo was finished and inducted into USC. While studying at the USC Roski School of Art and Design, the young artist’s photography received prizes and awards.
However, it was Saucedo’s spring 2021 photo book exhibition absence and loss, which attracted a lot of attention. The artwork featured photos of the artist’s beloved grandfather – who died of COVID-19 days before Christmas 2020. Saucedo spent junior and senior years creating artworks dedicated to Rodriguez’s memory.
“I took these photos for this photo book about my grandfather,” Saucedo said. “It was about the healing process and what it’s like to be healed in a collective way.
I decided to go through every single photo… It was really comforting to see them.
Dayanara SaucedoGraduated from USC Roski
“The first thing I had to do to start this project was look for these pictures, so my mom pulled out a box full of old photos in our basement,” Saucedo said. “I decided to go through every single photo and pick the ones I really wanted to work with and the ones I really wanted to see every day, and that’s how I got those images for the project. It was really reassuring to see her.”
USC Roski Professor David Kelley taught Saucedo’s advanced photo book class. He noted Saucedo’s use of documentary photography skills to capture touching images of the family’s rituals and grieving process.
“This experimental approach is a key strength of Dayanara’s work that sets her apart from other documentary artists,” said Kelley.
For Saucedo’s thesis, the artist created a photo and video installation about the Metro Rail in Los Angeles. The presentation included a mix of photographs and 8mm film with a narration about the Saucedo family and their history, who lived near the transit line.
For the USC art student, fear and sadness remain
Despite many artistic accomplishments, Saucedo admits to intense feelings of fear and sadness.
“With the pandemic and the recent death of my grandfather, I felt really overwhelmed,” Saucedo said. “So every Sunday my family and I would go to the cemetery just to be there near my grandfather’s grave, and there I felt like I could hear him say, ‘How was school?'”
That was the motivation Saucedo needed to keep going.
In May, Dayanara Saucedo attended USC 2022 and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Saucedo’s goal is to become a professional photographer and outreach opportunity to help Los Angeles public schools that are lacking art programs.
“Dayanara represents the best that the Roski community produces,” said USC Roski School Dean Lin-Kirk, “Perseverance, talent and intelligence.”
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