By: Kym Santiana

Let’s be, honest learning in this pandemic is difficult. 

There are plenty of at-home distractions. Personally, I’m missing that in-class environment. I am currently studying Animation; a huge part of that learning is talking to others to explore ideas and get feedback from those around you. We essentially learn how to work in a studio environment during our time at school.

I find that what inspires me to study, is knowing I am studying something I sincerely love and have an immense passion for. I turn on my computer and as I load up my programs, I have to smile a bit knowing that my homework is to develop a storyboard for some wacky script or animate a character doing the impossible. I am working towards my dream of becoming an animator and the thought of one day having that as my career lights a fire in my heart, and gets me excited to get on the next Zoom call and learn more.

Not all my classes go on perfectly, of course, sometimes there’s an internet issue or the class translates awkwardly into the digital format, but everyone is there and working towards creating a good learning experience. The teachers are patient and ready to teach, they have proved to be quite dependable even when they have to lecture to a Zoom call with no one’s camera’s on.  They are still able to teach with vigour, and that is encouraging.

All my classmates are amazingly talented, they inspire me to explore, discover and work harder as a student and an artist. Even in this digital atmosphere, I still learn quite a lot from them. What’s working for me is that, even though we are not in the studio, we still keep in touch. We use social media to share our final work,  we use group chats to discuss projects in-depth, and use live streaming to share what we’re currently working on. We’ve adapted to our situation.

If this pandemic has taught me anything, it’s that your whole world can change, literally, and that we have to be flexible. It was stressful preparing all the tools and getting into the mind space for learning online, but what pushes me onward is my passion for my program and the community my classmates and I have made.

In a time of incredible change, we are all experiencing this monumental shift together. With a global pandemic, the transition into online schooling and so much more, members of the Sheridan community have become chameleons to welcoming change into their daily routines.

But not every situation starts and ends so easily. There are hardships, challenges and struggles that we experience to come out successfully on the other side. In this blog series, students, Sheridan Alumni, and members of our Sheridan community will share their stories of resilience and how they were able to overcome these obstacles.

The obstacles will vary from physical, emotional and mental, and our hope is that there will be something for everyone to read and grow from.

We are proud to call this series #SherYourStory.

 If you wish to be a part of it, you can submit your stories either publicly or anonymously here.