I have finally completed my masters in Motion Media Design from Savannah College of Art and Design. (Whew!) However a surprising occurrence happened – I was nominated by SCAD professors to receive the Excelsus Laureate award. This award is SCAD’s highest honor given to one graduating student each year at the commencement ceremony. Since I earned my degree entirely online, it was the first time an eLearning student has been the recipient of the Excelsus Laureate award. It is also the first time that a Motion Media Design graduate received this honor.
My journey with SCAD has been amazing — and challenging. I am extremely grateful for the support of my wife, Ashley, my parents, my coworkers, and ESPECIALLY my professors — without them, this wouldn’t have been possible. Balancing a job, life with a new baby, and graduate studies, wasn’t always easy. But the professors at SCAD were so encouraging, understanding, and gracious, as I made it work.
I chose SCAD for my graduate studies because I knew they would equip me with the tools I needed. SCAD’s professors have challenged me to innovate, and have inspired me to be the best version of myself. They taught me how to process my thoughts and translate them into something visual, for an end result that is truly compelling. And I’m so thankful for that. I’d also like to thank Anadarko for giving me this incredible opportunity for my graduate studies.
SCAD provided me a copy (highlight reel) of my speech section so you can watch it above. Also, John Lasseter was our guest speaker! He founded Pixar and directed Toy Story, Frozen, and many more lovable Pixar movies! He had an incredible speech as well – the full version of the commencement can be found here: youtube.com/watch?v=A8FKyGeGmPc