Kristina Rezk spends a lot of time trying to make artificial things look real. She creates people who do not exist and builds places from imagination. She pieces together entire scenes one prompt at a time. But the work has also brought something in her own life into focus. It has helped her see what she wants to do next.
At UC Irvine Beall Applied Innovation (BAI), Rezk works as an AI artist and filmmaker, turning sometimes technical stories into short-form videos. The position is new. Students get a hand in shaping stories, and the office gains a closer look at what AI tools can and cannot do. For each project, Rezk imagines how the story should look, generates and refines characters and scenes, and then uses Adobe Premiere Pro to shape them into a finished video with voiceover, captions and music.
BAI Director of Marketing and Communications Ryan Mahar noticed that Rezk had a knack for filmmaking, even without formal training.
“I’m impressed by her visual instinct. She has a strong sense of movement and how to frame a shot. I think realizing she has a real feel for the work helped build her confidence.”
As Rezk became more comfortable in the role, her experience shaped how she thought about what came next. Learning how to do the work was one thing. Figuring out where she wanted it to lead was another. During her freshman year, Rezk remembers feeling lost and unsure of what she was “supposed” to be working toward. At one point, she thought she might study public health and pursue nursing. Working with Mahar broadened her sense of what a career could look like. Hearing how he shaped his own around work he genuinely enjoys made her reconsider what should guide her choices.
“Being at BAI has pushed me to be more creative and to push my ideas further”
“I want to be driven by my passion and by the skills I have,” she said.
For Rezk, the job has become a different kind of classroom. She is constantly experimenting, revising and thinking about how her work will land with an audience.
“Being at BAI has pushed me to be more creative and to push my ideas further,” she said. “At work I get to focus on every detail and think about how to make the project better. It gives me a different kind of creative experience from class assignments.”
The job has also helped Rezk see teaching as a possible path. Remembering how lost she felt as a freshman, she now hopes to become an art teacher who can help students explore new tools and feel less alone as they figure out what they want to do.
That impulse to help others find their way reflects a broader shift in how Rezk thinks about success. She is learning to follow what interests her, even when it takes her somewhere unexpected.
“I tell my friends not to limit themselves or assume they can only do one thing. You have to realize what you’re capable of,” she said.