NJIT Fulbright Winner Will Pursue the Art of Animation and Storytelling

A student who majored in digital design at New Jersey Institute of Technology has earned an award from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program to hone her animation and storytelling skills at one of the best animation programs in the world.

The student, Kaylin Wittmeyer ’21, is pursuing a graduate certificate in digital creature animation at Sheridan College in Ontario. Wittmeyer, of NJIT’s Hillier College of Architecture and Design and Albert Dorman Honors College, will begin the program in the fall. 

The Fulbright “completely transforms my future path and career,” said Wittmeyer, NJIT’s third Fulbright winner in the past two academic years. “I plan to work in feature animation, whether as an animator, story artist or texture artist. My long-term career goal is to become a creative director or director for a studio, where I can shape the story of a film or television show and create stories that will leave lasting impressions on audiences.”

Wittmeyer was among 11 Highlanders who submitted applications for Fulbright scholarships this academic year, with six advancing to the semifinal round, including the university’s first candidate for study in the U.K. All of the semifinalists were Dorman Scholars.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. Students are selected in an open, merit-based competition that considers leadership potential, academic achievement, and record of service. Fulbright alumni join a network of thousands of esteemed individuals, including 60 Nobel Prize laureates, 88 Pulitzer Prize recipients and 39 who have served as a head of state or government.

A ‘distinct art form’

At Sheridan, Wittmeyer will study how to create fantastic creatures and characters for film, television and games. “I will learn all of the technical skills needed to model creatures, build the musculoskeletal system for characters, simulate clothing and hair and animate them,” she explained. “I will also learn what makes appealing, memorable characters and how to connect with an audience or challenge myself artistically.”

"I do not believe that animation should simply try to mimic life or live action,” Wittmeyer added. “Instead, it should be celebrated as a distinct art form that can manipulate time in frame rates, push anatomy and shapes in unique ways and breathe life into impossible creatures."

Once she completes her studies, Wittmeyer will pursue opportunities in feature animation – as an animator, story artist or texture artist. “My long-term career goal is to become a creative director or director for a studio, where I can shape the story of a film or television show and create stories that will leave lasting impressions on audiences,” she said.

Many mentors

Reflecting on her experience at NJIT, the Dorman Scholar credited professors, peers and alumni for stimulating her development and ultimately, helping her earn a Fulbright. Among faculty, Wittmeyer cited Professor Glenn Goldman, who “taught me how to see the world as a designer and an artist – to analyze everything around me, and build my personal visual dictionary,” Instructor Miguel Rodrigues, whose “passion for digital art is truly contagious” and whose studios “made me a stronger artist and prepared me for Sheridan's program,” and Senior University Lecturer Louis Wells, who “fostered my creative curiosity and my love for storytelling in a way that has transformed my art style.”

In addition, Wittmeyer thanked students and alumni who “acted as mentors for me as we hosted tutoring workshops or worked in-studio together into the wee hours of the morning,” adding, “I am forever grateful to each and every one of the mentors I met at NJIT.”