Features

Last spring, for the 2025 SVA Alumni Scholarship Awards, the SVA Alumni Society granted 92 scholarships to students, totaling $63,000 for projects as varied as animation, product designs, films, photography, and painting. Funding for the Alumni Scholarship Awards is provided through the SVA Alumni Society’s annual Support the Talent campaign; 100% of all donations go directly to students. This fall, we are spotlighting some of last year’s award recipients and their inspired work.

Today’s featured scholarship recipient is Zixin Yang, (MFA 2025 Computer Arts) whose thesis film, Lingering Summer Day, transforms personal memory into moving visual poetry. The four-minute 3D short, dedicated to her late mentor Professor Gary Schumer of Ringling College of Art and Design, recreates their final meeting before his passing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Blending 3D, 2D, and stop-motion–inspired techniques, Yang’s film explores loss, gratitude, and the enduring warmth of connection through stylized textures and layered animation.

For Yang, the film became both a tribute and an act of healing. At SVA, she learned how digital tools can express deeply human emotion. Lingering Summer Day captures that balance—between innovation and intimacy—and honors the power of art to preserve what might otherwise fade.

We recently asked Yang more about the influences behind her award-winning project, advice to incoming students, and experience at the School of Visual Arts.

Tell us about your project. What inspired the idea?

This project originated from an assignment in our Animation Culture class, where we were asked to create an animated documentary about a real person. I couldn’t stop thinking about Professor Gary, who passed away during the pandemic. He believed in me and encouraged me when I doubted myself. I didn’t want to forget him. I wanted to preserve that memory and share our connection with others, to remind people of the quiet beauty in human connection.

What surprised you the most once you started working on the project?

When I began recalling my memories with Professor Gary, it felt like peeling off an old scar. As I worked on the film, I found myself crying during the final shot, when he closed his eyes peacefully, just as he would when he fell asleep. Strangely, my grief felt lighter then—like I was finally able to say goodbye. Someone once commented that my film “carried him a little longer in this world.” That comment also surprised me.

What was a highlight of living and studying in New York City?

New York effectively blended the emotions between the concrete buildings and the greenery in between them. The highlight would be finding peace amidst the world's most intense pace and discovering a solution to cure loneliness. And, good lord, there are so many great restaurants and shows!

What is something you learned at SVA that you’ll always take with you?

That would be acceptance and embracing, along with countless laughs and hardworking, sleepless nights, for the dream, or simply to express your voice. Fortunately, and the beautiful thing is, you will always find people who resonate with you, or can bring up different perspectives that make you widen your eyes. 

Was there a teacher or course that was essential for you?

Yes. Faculty member Trilby Schreiber’s Animation Culture course was essential. She supported me and encouraged the idea of making my thesis film something authentic and heartfelt. She helped me realize that, as artists, we should create from what we care about. She was the first person to respond to that care and proved that it can truly echo.

What was your favorite piece of advice that a teacher or student shared with you?

“It made me cry. You should do it.”

What advice do you have for this year's students going through your program?

There’s no rush to be great or to chase what others define as success. Know who you are, what you care about, and what you want to leave behind as an artist. That’s what grounds you. Software is cold. Machines are cold. But you are warm. Keep yourself warm—drink water, stretch, and take a walk on those long, cold nights. It’s worth it if you feel it’s worth it, not because others think so. Laugh a lot with your classmates, and love the people around you.

The 2026 Alumni Scholarship Awards application is open for students in their final year at SVA until December 3, 2025. For more information, click here.