Abhignya Cavale, who originally grew up in Bangalore has always loved to create very realistic drawings of people, places and her favourite movie characters. She would spend much of the time drawing them and put them on her walls at home.
When she finished high school, Abhignya realised that she needed more knowledge and experience to fulfil her aspiration of becoming an animator with a major animation house.
“I wanted to study overseas so I could put my skills into practice. Also, I thought studying overseas would allow me to avoid working in a job which could easily be taken by a robot,” Abhignya said.
Abhignya chose to move to Sydney because her aunt lives here and she could easily fit in. She decided to pursue a Diploma of Design and Architecture at UTS Insearch, the pathway to the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).
“Within two weeks of coming to Sydney, I felt like I could fit in to the community. I leveraged my family networks to make friends and studying at UTS Insearch, it was easy to make like-minded friends,” she said.
Abhignya’s confidence in moving to Sydney encouraged her to top the first semester of her diploma course. Her achievement was recognised with the Dean’s Merit Prize at the December prizegiving ceremony.
“It was so great to be recognised for my hard work and creativity. My parents were very proud of my achievements,” Abhignya said.
The Dean of Studies for UTS Insearch, Tim Laurence said, “Abhingya should be tremendously proud of her achievement.”
“Every semester, we present academic awards to acknowledge and celebrate formally and publicly the outstanding achievements of students. It is a way to demonstrate our commitment and confidence in our students, and to encourage them to keep succeeding,” Mr Laurence said.
Currently in her second semester, Abhignya would like to enter the prestigious UTS Bachelor of Design in Animation after finishing her diploma.
“I cannot wait to try out visual effects technology and creating engaging animations,” Abhignya said.
When she graduates, Abhignya would like to work in a major animation house.