It 麻豆精品 S檚 lunchtime in Orlando. Or at least it is for Lyn Oquendo. At 3 p.m. on a Monday, Oquendo steps away from a computer monitor and indulges in Triscuits and butter. UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Spring 2023 graduation ceremonies are taking place this week, but Oquendo 麻豆精品 S檚 career with Warner Brothers Animation (WBA) started seven months ago. Headquarters are in Glendale, California, which means the workday runs from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. It 麻豆精品 S檚 no big deal to Oquendo.
麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檝e been constantly going, going, going since high school. After graduation, I 麻豆精品 S檒l only have my job to think about. That 麻豆精品 S檚 my next frontier 麻豆精品 S� slowing down, 麻豆精品 S� says Oquendo, a student in the experimental animation track of the ‘s emerging media program.
No one questions Oquendo 麻豆精品 S檚 pursuits, except maybe this idea of tapping the brakes. Landing the job with WBA is a microcosm of the personality we 麻豆精品 S檙e talking about. Oquendo texted a friend at the studio, then double texted and triple texted. The messages were to the point: Please give me a chance. You will not regret it.
麻豆精品 S淲hen I finally interviewed with the producer, she said she 麻豆精品 S檇 never seen someone so driven, 麻豆精品 S� Oquendo says.
麻豆精品 S淲hen I finally interviewed with the producer, she said she 麻豆精品 S檇 never seen someone so driven. 麻豆精品 S�
Oquendo 麻豆精品 S檚 entire college life is a story of drive, nearly 10 years in the making. It includes full-time jobs, more than a hundred scholarship applications, paying for household bills, and pushing forward 麻豆精品 S� always pushing forward.
麻豆精品 S淢y mom would say, 麻豆精品 S榊ou have your head above the clouds with your feet on the ground, 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Oquendo says.
Oquendo could fill a motivational calendar with family quotes like that.
From Grandma: 麻豆精品 S淎lways look at yourself in the mirror and be happy with who you are. 麻豆精品 S�
From the person in the mirror: 麻豆精品 S淚 can mourn failure and spend energy complaining or get up in the morning and use my energy to make things better. 麻豆精品 S�
The quotes are rooted in life experiences for the Oquendos. Grandma and grandpa fled in Cuba and came to the U.S. in 1992. They arrived with no money, no jobs and four daughters to feed, including Lyn 麻豆精品 S檚 mother. For a long time, they lived with ten family members in a small apartment in Miami.
麻豆精品 S淭hey lost everything in Cuba, 麻豆精品 S� Oquendo says. 麻豆精品 S淢y grandfather never learned to read or write. He and my grandmother had to figure out how to make it here. They never expected others to do it for them. 麻豆精品 S�
Oquendo grew up with mom and grandma after grandpa passed away.
麻豆精品 S淕randma always told me how important it is to fight for yourself and for your family, 麻豆精品 S� Oquendo says.
She and mom would read to Oquendo, who became fascinated with stories and art while sitting in their laps. The book that kept Oquendo riveted more than any other? The Bible. Grandma and mom would read about Jonah and the whale, David and Goliath, David and Saul. Again and again.
麻豆精品 S淚 could never get enough, 麻豆精品 S� Oquendo says. 麻豆精品 S淭he artwork and the power of those stories amazed me. They interconnected to tell this bigger overall story, and they impacted history forever. 麻豆精品 S�
As a teenager, Oquendo thought often about making a living with art and stories. But those thoughts were never voiced out loud. Instead, Oquendo would claim to have an interest in teaching. The family had worked so hard to re-establish their lives. What would they say about the practicality of an art career?
麻豆精品 S淣ow I look back and know my mother would have said, 麻豆精品 S楽ure, you can do it. 麻豆精品 S� But then she would have said, 麻豆精品 S榊ou can also figure out how to do it, 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Oquendo says.
麻豆精品 S淣ow I look back and know my mother would have said, 麻豆精品 S楽ure, you can do it. 麻豆精品 S� But then she would have said, 麻豆精品 S榊ou can also figure out how to do it. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S�
After high school, Oquendo figured out how to get into an art college in Chicago. However, Oquendo could not figure out how to continue paying $34,000 per semester. After one fall in Chicago, Oquendo enrolled at Broward Community College as a pathway into UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 emerging media program. A year later, another obstacle came up when the design portion of Oquendo 麻豆精品 S檚 portfolio didn 麻豆精品 S檛 pass entry into the program. Some students would have changed course. Not Oquendo.
麻豆精品 S淚t became a turning point in my life. I realized my own negative thoughts had been getting in the way,” Oquendo says. “That 麻豆精品 S檚 why I didn 麻豆精品 S檛 tell anyone about my interest in art. It 麻豆精品 S檚 probably why my grades weren 麻豆精品 S檛 so great in high school. I knew it was time to prove to everyone that I could do this. Most of all, I had to prove it to myself. 麻豆精品 S�
Oquendo worked overtime on design skills and pushed the door open to UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 emerging media program. Mom couldn 麻豆精品 S檛 pay for college, so Oquendo applied for scholarships and worked full-time while taking a heavy course load. The resume includes making donuts at Universal Orlando, stocking inventory at Target, preparing takeout boxes at PF Chang 麻豆精品 S檚 and cleaning up at an animal shelter.
Figuring it out also meant paying for rent and monthly bills, buying a car, shopping for food, while growing as an artist and storyteller 麻豆精品 S� and maintaining a 3.9 GPA. This became Oquendo 麻豆精品 S檚 own motivational quote: 麻豆精品 S淚 can either be a stick in the fire, or be the wind and grow the fire to warm myself up. 麻豆精品 S�
Oquendo carved out time to apply for more than 100 jobs and internships with companies that had any vague connection to emerging media 麻豆精品 S� from local t-shirt shops to Pixar. A spreadsheet of notes from those applications fed the fire, and still does:
麻豆精品 S淯nread. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S淣o. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S淣o response. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S淕hosted. 麻豆精品 S�
They warmed up Oquendo until a better opportunity than anyone could imagine arose 麻豆精品 S� an internship with WBA to work on productions like Teen Titans Go!, Harley Quinn, and Bugs Bunny Builders. The internship led to connections that led to the texts that led to a pre-graduation career start.
麻豆精品 S淭his field is not an easy one. But because of that, everyone who 麻豆精品 S檚 in it wants to be in it. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淭his field is not an easy one, 麻豆精品 S� Oquendo says. 麻豆精品 S淏ut because of that, everyone who 麻豆精品 S檚 in it wants to be in it. I 麻豆精品 S檓 working with a person who 麻豆精品 S檚 passionate about designing movie credits. Think about that 麻豆精品 S� movie credits. I also met a guy who had always dreamed of making cartoon movie trailers. We 麻豆精品 S檙e like-minded. Something drives each of us to do this. 麻豆精品 S�
Two of Oquendo 麻豆精品 S檚 driving forces will be present at commencement. Mom will watch from a seat in Addition Financial Arena. The other will be on Oquendo 麻豆精品 S檚 graduation cap: 麻豆精品 S�Para ti, Abuela. Siempre para ti.”
For you, Grandma. Always for you.
