2024 MY HERO International Film Festival Interns

Supervisor

Rachel Priebe

The internship program is supervised by Rachel Priebe. Rachel began as an intern for MY HERO in 2018 and currently assists with the film festival. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a BFA in Film and Television Production.  

Brandy Hernandez

Brandy is a screenwriting major at the University of Southern California. She loves film and music and one of her favorite hobbies is sewing!

Sam Fredericks

Sam Fredericks is a junior at the University of Southern California studying Media Arts and Practice. He enjoys film photography and reading in his spare time. He is excited to be working with My Hero on their 2023 International Film Festival.

Ambi Butler

Ambi Butler is a Master of Fine Arts student at the University of Southern California’s School of
Cinematic Arts. She is currently studying Film and Television Production with a special interest
in Directing. She also received two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Theatre: Acting emphasis and
English: Creative Writing emphasis at the University of Southern California and volunteered as
an actor and crew member for over 50 student film sets in Los Angeles. Originally from Dayton,
OH, Ambi began pursuing her career in entertainment at 12 years old, where she attended Stivers
School for the Arts with magnets in Theatre and Creative Writing. Her goals include becoming a
successful actress, writer, and director, and she plans to use the knowledge and skills she gains to
uplift the voices of those in underserved communities.

For as long as I can remember, I've been an avid enthusiast of the arts and entertainment. I was the kid who brought anything from an arts and crafts book to a digital video camera to school and would constantly work on projects about people and subjects that inspired me. I eventually enrolled in the Film & Television Production program at the University of Southern California, then later Narrative Studies, and I am currently set to graduate this upcoming spring. I am especially grateful for my involvement with the My Hero Project this year because it has given me the opportunity to share my passion for visual storytelling with our eager-minded, naturally curious, and ever-so-talented youth. The students at Ascot Elementary have reminded me of the thrill that telling stories brought me at their age, and it is so wonderful to see them emerge from our program with a better understanding of how stories shape the world and how important their unique voices are.

Jeric Binuya

I'm a transfer student who is attending Califonia State University, Fullerton where I'm majoring in Cinema and Television Arts. I'm graduating next spring semester in 2025. I was born in Fullerton and lived in Anaheim before moving to Murrieta at age two. When I graduated from Mt. San Jacinto Community College, I moved back to Fullerton to attend CSUF. My goal is to become a screenwriter and write original ideas for TV shows and movies. My favorite types of movies are shows are superheroes, action, fantasy, and comedy. My favorite hobbies that I like to do are video games, basketball, biking, and guitar.

Maxwell Myles

My name is Max Bennett, a rising junior at Manhattan College. I major in English and minor in Theater, so my interests does include the performing arts. When I’m not portraying the archetype of a theater kid (it’s a joke, I promise), I’m either reading a good book, writing at any capacity, or laying on my bed listening to podcasts or watching a good true crime/murder show. 

Sarah Bravo

Sarah is a recent graduate from California State University, East Bay. She majored in art with a concentration in film and animation, where she developed her storytelling skills through various projects and assignments. Her goal is to create short films and hand-drawn animations with incredible stories. She enjoys collaborating with other artists on projects that inspire and address pressing issues. When she is not spending time working on projects, she loves to create realistic charcoal drawings. She has been accepted at CSUEB's Annual Juried Student Awards Exhibition as a featured artist twice, featuring her charcoal drawings.

Patrick Hetland

Hello, my name is Patrick Hetland and I’m a senior at Elmhurst University in Illinois by Chicago. I’m a video editor and am majoring in digital media with game and animation including video games. I’d like to learn animation, web design, graphic design, audio design, cinematography, photography, videography, directing, etc. with My Hero and be involved as well. I love movies, tv. shows, music, video games, sports, technology, nature etc. An interesting fact about me is that I’ve been the mascot at three different schools!

Josh Mejia

He graduated from HCC with Filmmaking - General, AAS. He joined the Houston Film Production Club, and he volunteered for the Houston Cinema Arts Festival. He is studying at Houston Christian University for Cinematic Arts BFA and a minor in Creative Writing. He joined the 48 Hour Film Festival and went to SXSW in 2023. He would like to move up in production to a studio and or company job. His future career goals are to do scriptwriting, directing, and editing to eventually make a short film and feature film.

Maria Alonso 

Maria graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. She currently does work as a graphic designer and enjoys learning new creative skills like video editing and website design.

Wesley Duckworth

Wesley just graduated from Drexel University in June with a Bachelors in Film and Television and his focus is Editing. Besides editing, Wesley loves writing and drawing and has recently been practicing with more and more digital art because he is very interested in animation. Right now, Wesley is volunteering at My Hero and is helping with anything that is thrown at him!

Madeline Kirsch

My name is Madeline Kirsch and I am a Digital Media major with a focus in Digital Video Production at St. Petersburg College. I have spent the past 5 years working in digital media through Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and many other softwares! I have loved making videos since I was a little girl and I hope to be a producer when I am older! I spend most of my time coming up with stories I hope to bring to life someday!

Andrew Scibelli

Andrew Scibelli is a recent graduate of Marist College, leaving with a B.A. in Media Studies and Production along with a Minor in Computer Science. Andrew is an aspiring filmmaker & scriptwriter who is looking for opportunities to leave a meaningful impact on the community and inspire others. He has worked in various student organizations since high school in both broadcasting and film projects. Some of his hobbies outside of film include video games, dungeons and dragons, coding, and craft projects. 

Shealagh Brower

Shealagh Brower is a recent Wagner College alumni with a degree in Film and Media and a Summa Cum Laude distinction. She has a passion for storytelling both through a documentary and a narrative lens. She has worked on numerous short films as well as a feature length. She hopes to continue telling meaningful stories. 

Previous interns include: 

Kitty Richardson, Kayla Briet, Trey Carlisle, Becca Han, Ashlyn Bradshaw, Mia Islas, Hashmat Sherani, Rachel Priebe, Briana Hansen, Tania Merolla, Shelley Fineman, Andrea Hidalgo, Mckenna Hardy, Katie Graubart, Katie Arten, Jessica Ordaz, Nicole Petrovsky, Jennifer Bose, Felicia Paredes, Jeremy Hsing, Michael Gankin, Coleman O'Brien, and others.