Olmos Famous

By Jimmy Kelly on August 10, 2009 8:27 AM

Jose Olmos ’09 is and is not your typical Trojan.

A native of Los Angeles, the School of Cinematic Arts graduate is still wrapping up summer courses as he splits time between homework and his job at the university’s dental school.

Olmos, a standout in the John C. Hench Division of Animation & Digital Arts, dreams of someday working for Pixar. He looks forward to giving back to the school and the community. However, between campus and career, he has one other priority vying for his time.

“I’m a single parent. The hardest thing was finding child care, but I have family and friends help me out,” said Olmos, who has raised 13-year-old Desiree for the last nine years. “My daughter’s very helpful, she’s very patient and she listens. The sacrifices she’s made while I’m here have been more than I’ve sacrificed. She sometimes doesn’t get to do stuff on the weekends because we’re staying home and I’m doing homework. I’m working on my project.”

At 41, Olmos sticks out among most undergrads. And while some of his classmates have traveled from all parts of the world to hone their talents at USC, it’s the homegrown Olmos who has perhaps traveled the farthest to be where he is today.

Olmos arrived at USC as a transfer student from Los Angeles Trade Tech College. He had dropped out of high school years ago, but was determined to balance work and parenthood while getting his general education development and furthering his education. He had always admired USC for its sense of tradition, but did not always see himself as a Trojan.

“USC, when I was attending high school, wasn’t something I thought about,” he said. “I knew friends that were in programs, other things that were situated with transitioning into college, but I wasn’t at that phase.”

Olmos began working at various jobs in his years after leaving high school and looked at each one as its own valuable learning experience. As the years went on, his parents passed away and, at 28, Olmos had a family of his own.

It would have been easy for him to keep education on the back burner, but he wanted to set a better example for his daughter.

Animation had always been a passion for Olmos, but he rarely had opportunities to pursue his talent. When he learned of the School of Cinematic Arts’ new animation B.A. and how the program was accepting transfer students, he put together a portfolio. Not only was the division, then chaired by professor Kathy Smith, impressed with his drawings, officials saw an applicant who had earned a second chance at pursuing his education.

“We have a lot of high-end applicants, but you’ve got to also accommodate people who don’t always get those opportunities,” Smith said.

Olmos received a grant to help pay for school and was awarded a scholarship from the Norman Topping Student Aid Fund, a program for students with high financial need and a strong sense of community awareness. He had always valued volunteer work and even passed up an internship for the chance to take part in the Youth Animation Workshop run by animation professor Shelly Wattenbarger, where animation students work with children from Para Los Niños Charter Middle School. He helped run special animation courses and screened his thesis film, Mayan Reign, for the students.

“Jose was great with the kids,” Wattenbarger said. “He was a role model for them, especially coming from a similar background. They really respected him, but felt comfortable asking him for input in their projects.”

Olmos also has done volunteer work through the Joint Educational Program at USC while focusing his academic efforts on traditional and 3-D animation. He has attended animation events in Tokyo and is preparing his work for festivals. He has viewed his time at the School of Cinematic Arts as a great privilege that came along just when he needed it.

“I felt this is where I wanted to be and needed to be,” he said. “I imagined myself walking with my backpack like I am now with my books and my USC gear, and it was awesome. It was a good feeling, like wearing a perfect pair of shoes.”

That feeling has rubbed off on his daughter, who would like to be a Trojan herself someday. Olmos points to his relationship with Desiree as a major motivation as he pursues his passion for animation.

“Having my daughter, a child in the house, re-sparked animation, because she’s always watching Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Sponge Bob. I’ve enjoyed reinvigorating the imagination of animation through my child.”

Olmos will spend the coming months looking for internships and is not afraid of having his time spread thin yet again if it means simultaneously raising his daughter while working toward that dream job at Pixar. It’s been a long road for Olmos, but every step, every sacrifice, every risk has been worth it, perhaps none more so than the decision to come to USC.

“For me, my excuse was the money, the time, I’m a parent, I’ve got to pay bills, all those things people talk about … You just have to try. You just have to follow your passion.”

TAGS: cinema

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