Emma Elizabeth Aarnes

Emma Aarnes is the Admissions & Special Projects Manager in the Kanbar Inst. of Film & TV. She has been a part of the Film & TV team for over ten years, working in events and screenings before shifting to focus on the prospective student experience. Emma coordinates the review of all undergraduate portfolio applications to the department and her special projects include but are not limited to: Summer Filmmakers Workshop, Future Filmmakers Workshop, The Cary Fukunaga Production Fund, and the Tisch First Gen Working Group.

Emma holds a BA in English Literature from Vassar College and an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University. Selected publications of her short stories can be found in Columbia Magazine, Coachella Review, and The Emrys Journal. In Fall 2020, Emma was selected to participate in the Catwalk Residency Program and spent two beautiful weeks in the Catskills working on her novel-in-progress, tentatively titled Most Beautiful Year.

A native South Carolinian, Emma now lives in Washington Heights with her husband and their cat, Neville. She still loves Clemson football, but spends most of her time reading, writing, and seeing as many movies as she can (in theaters!). She is known in the office for baking excellent cookies.