My Excel Story

When I first joined Georgia Tech Excel, I was more excited than nervous. I got to join different clubs at Georgia Tech. First, I did some improv at DramaTech. Then I assisted children with playing soccer in the GOALS club. I also meet up with the Runnin’ Wreck to do some street running on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. And my most personal favorite club that I participated in was called ORGT, which stands for Outdoor Recreation Georgia Tech. The trips I did were cascading, which is the opposite of rock climbing, where you climb down a waterfall, caving horizontal and vertical (that’s where I got a chance to explore caves), and bikepacking where I carry packs and camping equipment with my bike and go camping. One of my favorite parts in Excel was learning how to use the computer graphic app called Maya. I used it in an inclusive class called Construct-Moving Image. I learned how to make modeled shapes, size them up, move them around, twirl them, and give them brighter or darker colors. My final project in that class was a group project where we developed a video game that takes place in a space mansion where every room is based on what the planet/god/goddess represents. For instance, Mercury, the messenger god, was the library and Neptune, god of the sea, was the bathroom. And now I’ve used it to make a model of Buzz, the yellowjacket mascot, by using poly model shapes, making them bigger, smaller, taller, shorter, thinner, and wider. And I rendered the colors to make them brighter or darker. I also loved being camp counselor at the Excel Summer Academy. We got to come up with ideas for upgrading attractions at the Georgia Aquarium. Another one of my favorite Excel events was Six Flags Night, where we got to ride on our favorite rides. My other favorite part was when I went to the water park hotel, the Great Wolf Lodge, with my friends. I also learned how to host events like movie nights, drawing clubs, and dance events. The Excel Program has shown me how to make friends, like the Smith brothers, who invited me to a fun trip at the water park, Great Wolf Lodge, and my friend Antonio, who invited me and four other Excel friends to Disneyland next holiday season. Excel also brought me on a tour at Warner Broadcasting, formerly Turner Broadcasting, and from the moment I first stepped in there it felt like my dream place. That is when I knew that I wanted to pursue animation for my career. I love animated television shows. I will do this by taking additional online trainings to improve my animation skills, especially in the Maya and Unity programs.