Young Woman's Boxing Self-Portrait Wins Grand Prize in Photo Competition

A self-portrait by a student at Mt. San Jacinto College has won the Grand Prize in a statewide photo competition, college officials announced Monday.

Aileen Luib, 18, of Moreno Valley, is a recreational boxer and a student in the photography program at Mt. San Jacinto College.

She started photography about three years ago as a hobby, college officials said.

"I do self portraits every month or so as a teaching tool," Luib said. "It also teaches me some humility and puts me in the model's place so I can relate."

Luib's photo of herself with a defiant look in her eyes is titled '13 Rounds.'

Of all her portraits, Luib said she felt '13 Rounds' had a more solid story behind it, Luib said.

"I'm a big boxing fan and this refers to endurance because you usually never get to a thirteenth round," she said. "I'm pretty busy on a daily basis with two jobs and school. Life gets tiring. The whole purpose of the image is to show that I can endure a lot - I'm a fighter."

Luib said she boxes for exercise and as a healthy outlet for aggression.

Her self-portrait was judged first-place in eight categories, and earned the top spot for Portrait and Personality in the College Seen photography competition for California community college students.

The prize package included photo software and a $500 cash award, which Luib has earmarked for a new lens.

More than 320 entrants participated in this year’s contest, college officials said.

"Aileen has a great dedication to creativity - producing as much outside the classroom as inside," said Keith Hanz, Mt. San Jacinto College's photography instructor since 1998.

"She is at home in the studio just as much as she is on location," Hanz said. "She experiments with great energy and has a lot of creative prowess."

To see more of Luib's work, visit www.aileenluibphotography.com.

The College Seen Photo Contest is an annual competition that shares students' perspectives of life at California's community colleges. The contest is sponsored by the Foundation for California Community Colleges and the CollegeBuys purchasing program, with software prizes courtesy of Adobe.

For more information, visit www.collegeseen.org.