In the words of a Pre-MDM graduate, the Pre-Master of Digital Media program at Centre for Digital Media is “a treasure box” filled with the professional communication and collaboration skills they will need to succeed in the digital media industry. This year's "twelve changemakers" are talented and creative individuals from various backgrounds who are developing their technical English communication skills, navigating through exciting teamwork projects, and mastering cutting edge digital collaboration tools. Learn about their journeys and hear from each of them, in their own words, below.
Liting He - Artist, UX Designer
I am a UX designer & a New Media Artist. I love performance art and painting, so I did a lot of projects related to experimental art and new media installations during my undergraduate studies. I am also interested in user experience. So, I joined the Pre-MDM program to improve my fundamental skills in communication, self-study in English and critical thinking skills for future projects. That will open my mind and help me become a more professional designer.
Hairong Long - Graphic Designer, Illustrator
I am Hairong Long, a passionate artist and doer with 8+ years of traditional drawing experience, 5+ years of digital drawing experience on multiple platforms such as Photoshop and Sai. Capable of capturing bright spots on daily objects, adept at character design that easily blended into the given script, sensitive to colours and textures. Able to use 2D and 3D software, including video editing. Furthermore, I am a pre-mdm student, a technical English learner who wants to explore her own journey in Canada. Besides, I am a cat lover and a fan of impressionism. Let’s chat more!
Yiling Wang - UX Designer
As a designer who loves to communicate, understand and emphasize good rapport with people, my nature brought me seamlessly to the user experience designer position. I was always interested in psychology when I was young, and beautiful things have always fascinated me. I joined the pre-MDM program because I needed to improve my soft skills to communicate with people from different backgrounds effectively so that I could emphasize their feelings, understand their needs and solve problems for them. Also, I would like to integrate into the diverse society in North America and become comfortable with the atmosphere, both professionally and personally.
Panchanit Sathorn - Graphic Designer
I am Cherilyn. Creative skills have always been my greatest strength since I was a kid. I graduated from Silpakorn University, Faculty of Decorative Art, majoring in visual communication design. After that, I worked as a graphic designer for two years in a digital agency that created and developed websites and software applications. I had a chance to work on the website‘s UI, and I think I liked it so much that now I find myself interested in UX UI design. I decided to learn more about digital media, so I applied for the pre-MDM program in the hopes of developing technical communication skills in digital media environments and carving a career for myself in an English-speaking country.
Caterina - 2D Designer/Animator
I am Caterina. I studied 2D design and animation. I’ve been in the design field since my undergraduate days and fell in love with it. What’s more, I aspire to be a 2D and animation designer. I love movies and learning to make animations; I imitate the animations in the movies and try to reproduce them to constantly improve my skills. The reason I joined Pre-MDM was to improve my speaking skills. The birth of a successful project must involve a team, and team communication is the key to success. I also hope the audience will love my work through my presentations.
Hanyue - Game Designer
I studied animation and game design during my undergraduate years and participated in many team projects. Now, I’m working as a concept artist, drawing character designs and making 3D models for the game industry. I’m joining the Pre-MDM to challenge myself, learn more digital media-related knowledge and skills, and take part in some practical and meaningful projects with other people. Maybe one day we can make the world a better place!
Lan Xu - Software Engineer
I’m Lan. I majored in software engineering during my undergraduate years, so I can do some coding. Besides that, I create illustrations, designs such as posters, and even some 3D modelling, including spine animations. My biggest hobby is playing video games, especially the ones from Nintendo, and I hope to become a senior game developer one day. I have already done some indie game projects with my classmates and on my own. I joined the pre-MDM program because I want to learn communication skills and how to collaborate with others more efficiently. I hope this will be a pleasant and unforgettable journey for me.
Siqi Gao - 3D Environment Designer
Designing has always fascinated me, stimulating me to pursue something that involves a deep level of creativity and imagination. I used to be a landscape designer, but during my undergraduate study and internship, I gradually felt I could combine my landscape knowledge with technology to create a better environment and user experience for people. Especially in the virtual world, we are no longer subjected to various life concerns as we can give full play to our imagination and create more scenes that are different from reality. I joined the pre-MDM program to participate in projects with people from different professional fields to generate better ideas and be part of a motivated team that brings more people to experience virtual worlds through the power of collaboration.
Ty Radman - Game Designer
I had loved playing video games since I was a child when I got my first computer. I never thought about the process of making video games until I did, and that moment changed everything. I decided to study IT engineering as it was the only major that provided the skill set necessary to develop video games. I’m more focused on the game design side and programming, in addition to a bit of 2D and 3D art. I joined the pre- MDM program to push myself further into the industry and get experience from those that have worked in the field for so long, as well as to improve my communication skills, as these are just as important as technical skills in the industry. I’m so excited about starting my journey at CDM, the first couple of days were so promising, and I know that better days are yet to come.
Shawn Gao - Software Developer
I'm Shawn Gao. As a programmer, I majored in computer science during my undergraduate studies. I created my first indie game when I was just 14 years old and have taken part in many programmes related to gaming and VR/AR technologies in my college years. I enrolled in the pre-MDM programme with a strong passion for digital media to develop my communication abilities and fulfil my dream of becoming a programmer in the video game industry. I think I'll benefit greatly from the hands-on projects in the pre-MDM program.
Qianhui - UX Designer
I'm Qianhui. During my recent studies, I focused on Design Research and UX Design, integrating these new skills with my background in architecture. My experience has prepared me to tackle challenges while working in interdisciplinary teams. I joined the Pre-MDM program because it welcomes students from diverse professional backgrounds and focuses on cultivating English technical communication skills and teamwork abilities. I hope to improve my communication skills through projects with various classmates with diverse backgrounds.
Antai Liu - Game Designer
I started playing video games very young. First, I played with my elder cousin on his Nintendo “Famicom” and PlayStation 2. I found joy in games, and this passion bloomed when I was in high school. I realized I was not satisfied with only playing games, I wanted to design my games. Therefore, I chose Digital Media as my major in college. After graduation, I had a job in a game company in Beijing. It was ok but not quite what I wanted. Then I had an epiphany. Why not study more game design and other related areas? As a result, I’m in CDM, expanding my visions while learning communication skills from experienced teachers and schoolmates.
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