Tip Tuesday: Whitney Anagu

The TIP program helps local high schoolers gain valuable experiences in the fields they dream about working in. After watching her application video, we knew Whitney Anagu would be a perfect fit for an internship at Illumination Entertainment.

Tell us a little bit about yourself

My name is Whitney Anagu. I’m 17. I’m from Culver City California, and I attend Culver City High School.

Where do you intern?

I intern at Illumination Entertainment in Santa Monica.

What do you do on a daily basis?

It’s something different everyday, but it’s almost always something exciting.

Have you done animation in the past?

I haven’t done many animations in the past, but I look forward to all the ones I’m doing in my future.

What attracted you to this work?

Animation has always been my life, and always been my passion. Animation, to me, shows children and adult audiences what you can’t explain with words or speeches– social concepts and vague timeless ideas. It has the power to make these things clear and understandable. Also, I think it transports us to worlds we can only dream of and introduces us to characters who are endlessly complex and different, yet simple and the same. Lastly, the most beautiful thing is seeing young children understand that even in characters who are talking animals or mythical creatures, they have more in common with the characters than they do not.

What do you think is the most valuable thing you’ve learned so far?

The most valuable thing I’ve learned is to persevere. Things may get difficult, but difficulties in life are almost always temporary. I also think that experience is a trade that can never be taken away. It is a leg up, and it is a chance to do tomorrow even better than you did today. An internship in a field you love is the leg up most who succeed say they had, so for me it is everything that I was able to get one.

How has this shaped what you want to do in the future?

It’s made me even more driven than before.

If you could give a future TIP intern advice, what would it be?
Smile! Trust me. In a business setting, people will notice. Success is not a straight line, but working hard in whatever you do will get you there.