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For many kids growing up in the Central Valley, going to Los Angeles and pursuing a career in arts – like theater or the movie industry – seems so close, but can remain so far at the same time.

In her recent three-part series “Landing A Dream,” higher education reporter Rachel Livinal chronicled the stories of two high school arts students in Merced and the teacher encouraging them to dream big.

She spoke to KVPR‘s Jonathan Linden about what inspired her to do the series.

You can listen to the interview in the audio player above.

“Landing on a dream” stories

Part 1: In agricultural Merced, arts students follow their dreams ‘one step at a time’

Part 2: She got accepted into theater school. Finances are keeping her away

Part 3: The arts helped a Merced teacher find her voice. Now, she’s helping students find their own

Rachel Livinal is the Higher Education Reporter for The Merced Focus