City Kidz NexGen

University of Southern California
M.F.A. in Animation & Digital Arts • Class of 2026

Areas of Interest
3D Animation • Motion Graphics • Lighting • Look Development • Rendering • Visual Storytelling

Why Participating
To collaborate with other creatives and industry professionals while creating meaningful animated content that inspires young audiences and expands her experience in new animation workflows.

Interesting Fact
Hanqian combines artistic creativity with technical versatility across 3D animation, motion design, lighting, look development, rendering, and real-time production tools, including Unreal Engine.

Pratt Institute
M.F.A. in Digital Arts • Class of 2026

Areas of Interest
3D Animation • Character Design • Storyboarding • Rigging • Visual Development

Why Participating
To create meaningful animated stories while collaborating with fellow artists and using animation to inspire and educate the next generation.

Interesting Fact
Louis has contributed animation assets, character rigs, and production environments for multiple collaborative projects and enjoys exploring how animation can be applied beyond entertainment, including education, infrastructure, and emerging technologies.

Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
M.A. in Animation • Class of 2025

Areas of Interest
Character Design • Visual Development • 3D Modeling • Lighting & Rendering • AI & Emerging Technologies

Why Participating
To use 3D storytelling, real-time production, and emerging technologies to create meaningful, interactive experiences that make learning engaging and inspire the next generation.

Interesting Fact
Pragya contributed to Afroverse, an interactive Fortnite experience that transformed physical African museum artifacts into a playable world designed to make history more engaging and accessible for young audiences.

Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
B.F.A. in Technical Animation • Class of 2026

Areas of Interest
Technical Animation • Character Modeling • Visual Storytelling

Why Participating
To contribute to professional animation productions while building a portfolio that combines technical excellence with inspiring storytelling.

Interesting Fact
Shreya has experience across nearly every stage of the animation pipeline, from character modeling and asset creation to texturing, lighting, and post-production, using industry-standard tools including Maya, Houdini, ZBrush, and Substance Painter.

Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
B.F.A. in Technical Animation • Class of 2026

Areas of Interest
3D Animation • Technical Art • Character Animation • Lighting • Visual Effects • Game Development

Why Participating
To combine meaningful storytelling with technical creativity, collaborate with other artists, and help create original productions that inspire young audiences.

Interesting Fact
Diya bridges the creative and technical sides of production, with experience in Unreal Engine, Maya, Blender, Houdini, Python, visual effects, cinematics, and game development.

Carnegie Mellon University
B.F.A. in Fine Arts • Class of 2026

Areas of Interest
3D Animation • Character Art • Modeling • Rigging • Animation

Why Participating
To bring professional 3D production experience and an entrepreneurial perspective to stories that help young audiences understand creativity, opportunity, and entrepreneurship.

Interesting Fact
Stanley has served as a Lead Character Artist on professional game and animation projects, contributing character design, modeling, and production assets while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams.

Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
B.F.A. in Visual Effects & Technical Animation • Class of 2026

Areas of Interest
Technical Animation • Visual Effects • Environments • Production Management • Animation for Young Audiences

Why Participating
To help create entertaining stories that teach young audiences about entrepreneurship, opportunity, and financial literacy while expanding her production experience.

Interesting Fact
Caitlin brings experience in both building animated environments and coordinating productions created for children and teen audiences, combining creative artistry with strong production leadership.

DePaul University
B.A. in Animation • Class of 2027

Areas of Interest
Technical Animation • Rigging • Game Development • Technical Art

Why Participating
To apply his passion for blending art and technology while helping create engaging animation and interactive storytelling experiences.

Interesting Fact
Dominic has already worked as a Technical Artist on VR games, educational games, and freelance animation projects, specializing in Blender, Unreal Engine, and technical art workflows.

Ringling College of Art and Design
B.F.A. in Computer Animation • Class of 2028

Areas of Interest
3D Animation • Character Design • Modeling • Lighting & Rendering • Visual Storytelling

Why Participating
To help bring educational stories to life through expressive characters and engaging worlds while continuing to grow as an animator alongside experienced artists.

Interesting Fact
Yaroslava combines artistic creativity with strong technical 3D skills and works with industry-standard tools including Maya, Nuke, and Substance Painter to create compelling characters and cinematic environments.

Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
B.F.A. Candidate in 3D Character Animation • Class of 2027

Areas of Interest
3D Character Animation • Storyboarding • Modeling • Lighting & Rendering

Why Participating
To help create meaningful animated stories while gaining real-world studio production experience alongside industry mentors.

Interesting Fact
Vani has served as both an Animation Co-Lead on a SCADpro collaboration with Mayo Clinic and as the 3D Animation Lead on her capstone project, demonstrating both creative leadership and collaborative production experience.

DePaul University
B.A. in Animation • Class of 2027

Areas of Interest
2D Animation • Character Animation • Illustration • Visual Storytelling • Character Design • Story Development

Why Participating
To gain real-world studio experience, collaborate with fellow artists, and strengthen his skills as an animator and storyteller while contributing to original productions that inspire the next generation.

Interesting Fact
Julian has showcased two animated short films at film festivals, completed two internships with independent animation studios, and is currently developing his own original animated series. Fun fact: He can do a taco tongue!

Parsons School of Design
B.F.A. in Illustration • Current Undergraduate

Areas of Interest
3D Modeling • Character Design • Illustration • Visual Storytelling • World-Building

Why Participating
To expand her creative practice through collaborative production while using character design, 3D art, and visual storytelling to create imaginative worlds that inspire young audiences.

Interesting Fact
Eva creates original characters and collectible artwork across both digital and physical media, including 3D-printed designs that blend traditional illustration with emerging creative technologies.

Middle Tennessee State University
B.F.A. in Animation • Current Undergraduate

Areas of Interest
Character Design • 2D Animation • 2D Rigging • Visual Storytelling • Concept Art

Why Participating
To strengthen her skills in character design and 2D rigging while collaborating on original productions and gaining hands-on studio experience in a professional animation environment.

Interesting Fact
Lizzie enjoys playing story-driven and competitive video games, with Overwatch and Fortnite among her favorites, and often draws creative inspiration from the characters and worlds they create.

California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)
B.F.A. in Character Animation • Class of 2026

Areas of Interest
Character Design • Visual Development • Color Design • Background Painting • Art Direction

Why Participating
To contribute to real productions, grow as a visual development and character design artist, and collaborate on stories that inspire and connect with audiences.

Interesting Fact
Ayla contributed to three animated films selected for the prestigious CalArts Producers' Show at the Academy Museum and previously helped lead the animated introduction for the Baku ANIMAFILM International Animation Festival.