ASIFA-Hollywood’s Animation Educators Forum (AEF) is proud to announce its scholarship recipients for academic year 2021-22. This year’s scholarships totaled $39,730 and will be distributed to nine students, both graduates and undergraduates, from five states and four countries. The scholarship funds will be used to cover costs for necessary software and hardware, creative and academic research, and tuition.
The AEF scholarships are merit-based and designed to support college students in continuing their education in the field of animation. Each individual student’s written proposals, letters of recommendation from faculty, and demo reel/still art were taken into consideration as part of the selection process.
The 2021-22 AEF Scholarship recipients are:
Damian Thorn-Hauswirth, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
Graduate Student – Creative Animation Project – Returning to graduate studies after working eight years in the industry.
Jenielle Salardo, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA
Senior, Undergraduate – Creative Animation Project – Active member of the “Shrunkenheadmen” Animation & Illustration Club.
Jodi Kuchenbecker, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR
Senior, Undergraduate – Creative Animation Project – A pilot episode of her series proposal
Joy Zhou, Sheridan College, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Third year, Undergraduate – Tuition – Goals include story and character design
Kaitlin Yu, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
Senior, Undergraduate – Creative Animation Project – Project focuses on the experiences of immigrants.
Keri Galindo, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia
Fourth year, Graduate Degree – Animation Research Proposal – Applying animation principles to the field of social robotics.
Stefie Gan, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
MFA Student – Creative Animation Project – Studies architecture at Columbia University
Swann Valenza, MoPA, International School of 3D Animation, Arles, France
Fourth Year, Undergraduate – Creative Animation Proposal – Taught herself to use Blender 3D software while in high school.
Thomas Edgar-McNerney, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Fourth year, Undergraduate – Creative Animation Project – Inspired by special effect animation of dragons to pursue a career in animation. Hopes to be a storyboard artist.
AEF is proud to support these nine animation students on their journey towards membership in the global animation community. Now more than ever, animation in its many forms provides a way to communicate across cultures and across borders.
Today, ASIFA-Hollywood, the largest chapter of the Association Internationale du Film d’Animation (International Animated Film Association), supports a range of animation activities and preservation efforts through its membership. Current initiatives include the Animation Archive, Animation Aid Foundation, Animation Educators Forum, animated film preservation, special events, scholarships, and screenings. For more information about ASIFA-Hollywood, please visit www.asifa-hollywood.org.
