‘Belonging to the Creation of Something Bigger’: The Soraya’s Bayramian Internships Boost Students in Mike Curb College, Across Campus

By Jacob Bennett

As kids, Katie Leung and her sister were “obsessed” with the soundtrack to the 2012 film adaptation of “Les Misérables,” where Aaron Tveit starred as the charismatic revolutionary Enjolras. She couldn’t have imagined that years later, as a college student, she’d be working just feet from Tveit as he performed on The Soraya stage, filming the Broadway star. 

As a sophomore marketing intern for 2023-24 at the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, in May she was tasked with filming parts of the concert for social media promotion. She moved around the wings of the stage and in the audience, capturing magical moments like Tveit’s performance with Pacific Jazz Orchestra at The Soraya.

A film production provisional major in the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication, Leung said this was by far one of her favorite memories during a yearlong internship. That night, she edited her video for Instagram and TikTok. 

“He was a childhood obsession, so it’s just really cool being able to film him and see him that close,” Leung said of Tveit. She said she took the internship to challenge herself creatively. “I’m taking the steps that I need to right now so that I can get as much experience as I possibly can and get my foot in every single door.”

Leung was part of last year’s class of The Soraya’s Bayramian internships. The internships are provided through a $7.3 million gift in 2005 from the trust of longtime San Fernando Valley residents Mary ’63 (Art) and Jack Bayramian — who passed away in 2002 and 2005, respectively. The Bayramians are the namesake of the university’s student services building building, Bayramian Hall.

Three to five CSUN students work as interns in The Soraya offices during each season, helping in administrative roles that give them career skills earned in a world-class performing arts venue. The internships are open to CSUN students across campus and come with an $8,000 scholarship. 

The natural overlap in interest in the arts makes the internships a great fit for Mike Curb College students like Leung, who have been represented in every internship class since the program began in 2017. Student applicants must write an essay explaining how the internship would help them achieve their goals. 

The program is an example of the integral link between the academic programs of the Mike Curb College and The Soraya, a connection that began with a $5 million contribution toward the construction of the performing arts center in 2006 from music industry mogul, alumnus and former California Lt. Gov. Mike Curb ’09 (Hon.D.).

“The experience of working in an active, professional environment supports what our students are learning in the classroom, ensuring they are getting a full and rich education here at CSUN,” said Cameron O’Hanlon, general manager of The Soraya. “Also, as interns at The Soraya, our students get to see their impact in real time. They contribute to our marketing, our administration and the rest of our organization in a real way. 

“The full-year scholarship can be game-changing to some students,” O’Hanlon continued. “Our interns now have one less thing to worry about in their week, paying for their education. That means they don’t have to take that extra job, or drop that extra class. The financial, professional and academic benefits of these internships are extraordinary.”

Students have interned in promotions, guest services, sales, administration and more, including special projects such as developing a data management dashboard report and DEI initiatives. 

Past interns have majored in music, music industry administration, music composition, and screenwriting, as well as majors beyond the Mike Curb College such as business management analytics, marketing and early childhood development.

Bayramian internship alumni have gone on to pursue careers in photography, entertainment law and other arts-related careers. 

Gustavo Garcia, a film major now in his last semester, was a fifth-year senior when he was hired as a development and events intern in fall 2023. His responsibilities included interacting with performance attendees and analyzing attendance data. He’s studying cinematography and aims to be a director of photography. It was helpful, Garcia said, when his supervisor, O’Hanlon, pointed out the reasoning behind the creative decisions that enhanced a production — how a bright dance costume telegraphs joy, or certain types of wood in a floor can increase the echo of a tap shoe. 

And it turns out that the creative collaboration required to make a movie isn’t so different from the teamwork required to put on a show, he added.

“The best part of the internship was belonging to the creation of something bigger in the arts,” Garcia said. 

For Leung, whose career goals include live production of events such as the Grammys and Oscars as well as working as a director and producer in film and television, working live events at The Soraya was invaluable experience. It also helped her be creative while targeting audiences beyond her generation. 

She was thankful for the scholarship awarded to Bayramian interns, which took financial pressure off her family. 

“At CSUN, you really get what you put in,” she said. “You get to create your own opportunities here.”