Spring — 2010

Ashleigh Manning

AET/ 3-D Animation

“I’ve learned more in the past four weeks than I ever would have learned at the four-year school that I went to. SMC is a remarkable college with remarkable people.”

“I was telling my mom back in Washington, DC—just as soon as I got out here—that I’ve never enjoyed being in class and doing homework as much as I do at SMC,” reports Ashleigh Manning in her first semester. “I went to Howard University back home, and studied Business Management there. But after I graduated, I was, like, you know what? I want to do something entirely different with my life. And I realized how much I’ve always loved animation and cartoons and computers. So I started looking around....”

What Ashleigh found at the top of all her computer searches about animation was SMC’s Academy of Entertainment & Technology. “My parents had already paid a lot of money for my university studies, so I thought I’d give them a bit of a financial break,” she says with a laugh. “And what I discovered about SMC online—and what family members out here told me about the College—I just knew that this was the right place to be. I mean, this is a two-year program as opposed to a four-year one, and—at the rate I’m learning—I absolutely know that I’m going to end up with all the skills I need to pursue a career.”

Another advantage that Ashleigh cites about immersing herself in SMC is an obvious one. “This is Hollywood, baby! And I know that LA is the place where I can make all the connections that I’ll need in this sort of industry. I feel that the professors that I have here at SMC really want me to do well and excel. And it’s now my dream,” Ashleigh says, “to go to work for one of the big digital animation houses, like DreamWorks or Pixar. My professors here—in both my day and night classes—are all very experienced in this profession. And I know they’re all doing their best to get me to their level, as well.”

Back