“I want to become an animator. A lot of people tell me that they think I draw well and I could go pretty far. I actually started drawing since I was pretty young, because it was something I enjoyed doing with my older sister. In elementary school I drew quite a bit, but I didn’t take it too seriously then. I just saw it as a hobby. However, in middle school, Mr. Coulson became my first art teacher, and I learned so much from him. I think that was when I first started taking art more seriously. I even considered becoming an art teacher like him. But when I got into high school, I met so many other people who were really good at drawing, some I would say are even better. I was thrilled to see other artists like me, but at the same time, I became scared that I wasn’t good enough. For a while, I went through a phase where I kept comparing myself to other artists. However, last year my art teacher, Mrs. Hentschke, took us to SJSU to see a Pixar presentation from one of her alumni. That trip was the first thing to really inspire me to become an animator. Now as a senior, I’m applying to SJSU and a few other CSUs with good animation programs. Sometimes I feel like I’m being too ambitious when I say I want to work for Pixar, but who knows? Maybe one day you’ll see my name on the big screen when the credits start to roll…”
Photographer: Vivian Tsang
