What was a highlight of living and studying in New York City?

One highlight is that there’s always something to inspire you right around the corner, and there’s always something to be involved in. The City offers endless opportunities for you to create and build yourself into who you want to be. I think it’s tough to find that anywhere else.

Was there a teacher or course that was essential for you?

One course I would say was essential for me as an editor was Kamil Dobrowolski's Digital Workflow class. You learn a lot about editing and the various technologies you may come across as you develop as an editor. It’s important to know how things work and how they operate. This class definitely helped.

What advice do you have for next year’s students going through your program?

My advice would be to try not to stress too much about what you want to create. Stick to what feels natural and comes to you effortlessly. You most likely already know the story you want to tell. It’s just how do you go about making it a reality. And to also start building your support system: Things may go wrong when you least expect it, and having great friends and collaborators in your corner will make a huge difference.

Mask Off is currently submitting to film festivals around the country. You can learn more about its progress by following the Mask Off Instagram page.

For last year’s SVA Alumni Scholarship Awards, a record 74 students were chosen from a pool of over 212 applicants. They were granted scholarships worth more than $60,000 for projects as varied as design products, animation, painting and photography. For more information about the Alumni Scholarship Awards and to see a complete list of last year’s recipients, click here. To Support the Talent this year, you can make a donation online at sva.edu/give.