About Tristan Alva and the Scholarship

Tristan Alva was an amazingly creative artist, animator, sculptor, musician, songwriter, and person overall. He was born on May 26th, 1999, and as soon as he could hold a pen, he began creating art. Anything creative became his passion in life. He played piano, guitar, bass, was a lead in his 6th grade school play as Mike TV, wrote his own music, wrote poetry, sang, and produced movies. Some of his art was also featured in the Indy film, Dear Mr. Watterson, a tribute to the creator of Calvin and Hobbes – Tristan’s favorite comic. 

In 6th grade, Tristan auditioned for OCSA – his dream school. He was thrilled to be offered admission and began at OCSA in the Visual Arts Conservatory. In 8th grade he applied for the Digital Arts Conservatory because he wanted to "bring his drawings to life". He was accepted and ultimately studied Digital Media, focusing on animation for the next four years. OCSA was Tristan’s “home" for six years. He was surrounded by like-minded artists and truly lived his dream life, creating art every day. He was so proud to be part of OCSA’s Digital Media Conservatory Class of 2017. 

Tristan had one semester remaining at California Institute of the Arts and was going to receive his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with an emphasis on Experimental Animation in December 2021. Tragically, he passed away unexpectedly on July 21, 2021 at the age of 22. Our family is devastated by our loss and heartbroken beyond words. However, this will not be the end of his story or his impact on the lives of so many. 

We know that Tristan would love for another student to be honored in his name. With your generous support, our family is launching the Tristan Alva Memorial Scholarship – an endowed scholarship program at OCSA to support the arts education for a student in need in the Digital Media Conservatory. We are committed to making a difference at OCSA – a place that was so special to Tristan. This scholarship will be awarded annually in perpetuity to support a deserving student who, like Tristan, is kind, compassionate, hardworking, and driven to impact the world though art and creation.

Thank you in advance for your support.

-The Alva Family