UC Riverside student Aronne Chan is the winner of this year’s R’Card contest for his photograph showing an overview of the campus with a sunset glow.

The photo will appear as the background image for the 2024-25 R’Card, the interactive ID card used by students and employees. The new card with Chan’s image is expected to be seen by about 8,000 incoming students this fall.

Chan, a senior majoring in film and minoring in marketing who will be graduating in June, said he’s honored to share his photograph with the next class of students.

He took the photograph two years ago after he hiked up a hill near campus and used a drone to fly overhead. His winning image was taken around sunset, capturing the light hitting the UCR Bell Tower and the mountains behind the campus.

“It was a perfect time with the sunset and everything,” he said.

Chan’s interest in photography began while he was in sixth grade and his father gave him an old Nikon camera to take photos during family trips. He later took photography and journalism classes in high school and started shooting videos.

“This is my passion,” he said. “I love capturing the beauty of life.”

Since 2020, UCR Auxiliary Services has chosen each year’s R’Card image through a contest open to students. The department received 93 entries this year by the Feb. 29 deadline, choosing the top four to be voted on by students on Instagram in March. Chan’s photo received 64% of the votes.

As the contest winner, he received a framed print of his photograph, a certificate, a R’Card with his image, and a $75 gift card for Barnes & Noble. 

“We were asking students to uncover hidden gems,” said Denise Stadelbacher, card services coordinator at the Highlander Service Station, which distributes R’Cards. She said Chan’s photograph did just that, featuring the red clay of the mountains, green trees and grass on campus, and a glistening bell tower.