Alyah Shoulders is a Junior, and her major is Illustration with an emphasis in sculpture at the Art Academy of Cincinnati (AAC). She is a Cincinnati native, who graduated from Colerain High School and currently lives in the Colerain community. Alyah is a shy and quiet young woman with dynamic visions of becoming one the best female animators of all time. She is a huge fan of Disney animated films, Snow White and Beauty and the Beast, are among her favorites.
When the time came to select a school, she ultimately selected the AAC due to the fact she immediately noticed the faculty and staff were kind and willing to help her in anyway. After her portfolio review and during a tour of the building with the admissions team, she was introduced to Professor Ken Henson. He took her sketch book and presented an impromptu critique of her work. She was a bit overwhelmed, but immediately knew AAC is the place for her.
According to Alyah, “If you are willing to make the sacrifice and work hard, you can make your dreams come true.” The Art Academy is a great place for people like her to thrive. Despite her shyness, she has been able to meet like-minded classmates, who are fated to be life-long friends. “If you need help raising your hand in class, there is someone there to help push your hand even higher. I know this from personal experience. If you see someone who needs art supplies, you share your art supplies. It’s that simple. Everyone here helps one another.”
Her involvement as a focused student is pointing her in the right direction to fulfill her ambitions. She’s made the commitment to work hard and take in every lesson or opportunity to hone her craft. We have no doubt we will witness Alyah Shoulders blossom into a world-class animator.
