Ana Santana pursued her passion for film through the University’s Pre-College Program as a junior in high school. Now a senior at the U, she is on track to graduate this year with a degree in film production and English.

By Amy Ellis
2-3-2025
This story originally appeared at News@TheU.

With a mom and dad who are both double Cane alumni, Ana Santana has lived and breathed the U since infancy.

“Her first onesie was from the campus bookstore,” said her mother, Ana Regalado, now associate dean and director of academic services at the School of Architecture. “It was a dream her dad and I shared. She was our little Cane.”

Santana, now a senior studying film production at the School of Communication, said she grew up on the University’s Coral Gables campus and always felt comfortable there.

“It has been my home for a long time,” she said.

Still, Regalado never assumed her daughter would automatically follow in her parents’ footsteps.

So, when Santana was going into her junior year in high school, Regalado pulled out what she describes as her best recruitment tool – both as a University administrator and a parent.

She encouraged Santana to apply for the University’s Pre-College program, which gives high school students a sneak peek at college life, as well as the chance to earn college credit while taking classes taught by University professors.

“I’m a real believer in the Summer Scholars program,” said Regalado, who said she often encourages high schoolers with an interest in architecture to consider the program’s architecture track.

“They experience firsthand what it is to be a Cane,” she said. “It’s personal and impactful, just as a college education should be. They get a sense of what it’s like to dabble in a major. Plus, the experience of the place and the people. I wish every prospective student could take it. It seals the deal.”

Santana took two classes in the summer of 2019: Introduction to Filmmaking and Survey of Motion Pictures, both required for freshmen film majors. In just three weeks, she earned six credits toward her degree.

Even more meaningful, she said, she wrote and directed her first short film called “Converse,” a day in the life story of a new student overcoming challenges with self-confidence.

“It was an amazing opportunity,” said Santana, who is preparing two films for submission in the upcoming Canes Film Festival in May. “You get to handle real equipment and play with things you normally wouldn’t get to in high school.”

The more intangible benefits are not lost on Santana either.

“I was always extremely shy,” she said. “Being part of Summer Scholars built my confidence up and helped me gain more independence.”

Her mother agrees.

“I definitely noticed she came out of her shell,” Regalado said. “She was already very talented and hard-working, but she gained the ability to take on a leadership role because they had to work as a team in the program. Her interpersonal skills, connecting and collaborating with others, the growth was definitely there.”

Santana, who collaborates with other film students on multiple projects at a time, said she is not certain what she will do after graduation, but she knows it will be related to film editing or sound design.

She has built an extensive portfolio of award-winning work–she did sound design for a film, “Purple Grooves,” that tied for best student short film at the Coconut Grove Short Film Festival. This summer, she plans to study abroad in London.

“I was asked in one of my classes if I would change anything about my college experience and my answer is a thousand times over, I would keep the experiences I’ve had,” she said. “I’m so grateful for all the projects I’ve worked on and all the people I’ve met.

“I’ve always been a proud Cane,” Santana added. “Now I feel that way even more than when I started out.”