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

Being a student in New York City was better than I had imagined. I commute from New Jersey, so I have the opportunity to see the sights of the city every time I go to class. There are so many things to be inspired by and so many places that are easily accessible by subway.

What is something you learned at SVA that you’ll always take with you?

Being surrounded by talented peers who love the same things that I do helped me realize that working in a collaborative environment is so important. We learn from each other and encourage each other to do our best.

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

There were many teachers at SVA who have taught me so much. My thesis teacher, K Downs, always gave me advice when I needed it during my final year at SVA. Frank Gresham was my animation teacher for the first two years at SVA and helped me learn the foundations of animation.

What was your favorite piece of advice that a teacher or student shared with you?

I am a perfectionist in my work, so I am very hard on myself if something doesn’t go the way I plan. But my teachers and peers taught me that it’s okay if something isn’t perfect and not to compare my work to others.

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

Creating an animated thesis film can be mentally and physically draining, so my advice would be to make sure to schedule breaks and stretch a lot. When working on any movie, I also make sure to schedule the deadline two weeks before the actual due date [in case] there are emergencies or weeks when I would be unable to work because I got sick. It would also help with having enough time to put in extra details towards the end and not work so much last minute.

For this year’s SVA Alumni Scholarship Awards, 67 students were chosen from a pool of hundreds of applicants and granted scholarships worth over $52,500 for projects in such fields as design, animation, painting and photography. To see a list of the 2022 recipients, click here. For more information about applying for an Alumni Scholarship Award, click here.

To contribute to the Support the Talent campaign, you can make a donation online at sva.edu/give.

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