05/06/2026
Congratulations to XA students Ziyun Xiao and Jiaxi Wu for their well-deserved recognitions at the SCA Impact Awards!
Ziyun is completing her second year in the Expanded Animation MFA program and received the SCA Impact Award. Her work combines animation, speculative design, robotics, environmental visualization, and socially engaged storytelling. In all of her work, she demonstrates a deep commitment to inclusion, rigorous research, and meaningful community impact. In her creative practice, she often thinks about broader goals such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and how art and media can respond to real social, cultural, technological, industrial, and environmental questions.
Jiaxi is finishing her third and final year in the Expanded Animation program and was nominated for the SCA Impact Award. Her thesis film "Lazy Eye" challenges stigma around disability and foregrounds the emotional realities of both the child and her mother. Jiaxi creatively engages with social issues not typically explored through animation in such a personal, documentary-driven form. Her use of multiple animation techniques and strong visual metaphors is extremely innovative in both form and approach.
While the Expanded Animation Research + Practice program has been shut down, its philosophy continues through its students, and our students embody the very best of XA: innovation, experimentation, and a deep commitment to ethical responsibility.
Congratulations Ziyun and Jiaxi! We are so proud of you ❤️
With love,
USC Expanded Animation Research + Practice
