Matthew Cerrudo Chan 

He/him

•  M.S. Biomedical Engineering 2024, B.S. Biomedical Engineering (Minor: Film Studies) 2023 
• Apprentice, Special Projects Photographer 2022-2023
• Apprentice, Arboretum Ambassador & Learning by Leading Photographer 2023-2024 

I have always had a passion for learning. I have always loved science and engineering for as long as I can remember and that desire to learn only got stronger once I started my undergrad here at Davis.

Once the pandemic started and classes were moved online, I moved back home and had a lot more free time to pick up a hobby and learn new skills. Some hobbies were given up quickly, but the most important hobby I picked up was photography. From my pets to family members to the plants and animals I saw on my walks around my neighborhood, I started photographing everything to practice and improve. Although classes eventually returned to being in-person and I moved back to Davis, I continued to photograph the world around me. Photography became much more than a hobby. As courses became more intricate and complex, photography became my outlet for creative expression, a cathartic break from the rigorous structure of academia. At the end of my third year of undergrad, I saw a job posting for the Special Projects Photographer position in the Learning by Leading Program. I was already taking pictures of the plants and animals in the Arboretum and Public Garden on my own time for fun so I applied on a whim. While this decision seemed pretty small at the time, it was by far the best decision I have ever made while attending Davis.

I luckily got the role of Special Projects Photographer and got hired to document plants and animals, tasks that I was already doing for fun. I also had the pleasure of documenting every single Learning by Leading team and learning about the amazing work everyone was doing. I found it fascinating to learn more about the wide array of projects that were happening around me and how photography was just a catalyst for this process. Since I photographed all of the Learning by Leading events, the team that I ended up working alongside the most was the Arboretum Ambassadors.

One day, I was tasked with photographing the Ambassador team as they gave a Girl Scout troop a tour around the Arboretum. It was a bit of a surprise to all of us to learn that there were around 60 Girl Scouts and only two ambassadors to help lead them around. Seeing the overwhelming situation at hand, I volunteered to help the Ambassadors lead some of them, becoming an “honorary Ambassador.” Eventually, in my second year of the program, the Special Projects team combined with the Ambassador team, and my not-so-official title of “honorary Ambassador” changed into the official title of “Ambassador-Photographer.”

The merging of the two teams allowed me to grow closer with people who I now consider lifelong friends.This position has been my favorite part of the five years I have attended Davis, as it has allowed me to continue to follow my passion and share my work with a much larger audience. I want to give a special thanks to my mentor Melissa Cruz Hernandez for the guidance and leadership she has provided. She truly gave me the opportunity to flourish and grow as a leader. I also want to acknowledge the other team member I have worked alongside since the beginning of my time here at the Arboretum: Binti Sohn. I couldn’t imagine working alongside any other person to help create the Learning by Leading student newsletter, as she contextualizes the photos that I give to her and presents them in a way that engages with such a large audience. It is amazing to see the work she creates time and time again and how she incorporates the photos that I have taken. Ultimately, I am never going to forget the people here at the Arboretum and the impact that they have had on me. Learning by Leading definitely holds a big space in my heart.