Ben McEvoy
Faculty of Animation, Arts & Design
Degree: Classical Animation and Art Fundamentals
Year of graduation: 2002
Career profile:
Since graduating, my career has moved across a number of related and unrelated opportunities, ranging from Student President at Sheridan, Fundraising and Marketing in Niagara, Graphic and Web Design in British Columbia, and most recently and notably as Lead Faculty of Animation in New Delhi, India. I am currently involved in my own business interests as a freelance designer / illustrator / animator as well as entrepreneur, which is supplemented by teaching part-time in the Animation program offered at Seneca College, where I teach graduating students professional skills for their careers.
Personal / Professional accomplishments:
I most recently embarked on a year-long contract in New Delhi associated with Centennial College, where I was an integral part of a team that successfully opened and operated a college for Digital Animation adapting a Canadian curriculum to the Indian environment.
I had the honour of serving as the Trafalgar Road Student President on the Sheridan Student Union, where I successfully redesigned and reorganized the Union and Corporation to more efficiently represent the student body to stakeholders, while operating more efficiently as a true corporation. During this time, I was awarded the ACCC National Student Leadership Award (2002) and was subsequently asked to sit at the head table with the Queen and her entourage during her visit to Sheridan.
A staff member that made an impact on my life:
I had the benefit of learning from some engaging minds during my five years at Sheridan, from faculty members who helped me understand the world of Animation beyond the art, and who pushed me to create from aspects of my own imagination that I would never have bothered to look into. I also had the benefit of learning life skills beyond my studies from other members of the community, who gave me advice and guidance that has moved me far beyond my original goals when I first joined Sheridan. Without their mentoring, I can hardly imagine myself in the same life that I am living now, and many of them are the most important aspect of my time at Sheridan.
Advice for a Sheridan student:
Don’t neglect to consider that your time at Sheridan will provide you with a world of opportunities for you to take advantage of and benefit from, as long as you realize that many of these opportunities will happen outside of the classroom and sometimes far from your original goals. Never stop looking for opportunities to learn and grow from these experiences, even after you graduate!