Five recent alumni from Ringling College of Art and Design’s Computer Animation major are set to begin animation internships at Pixar this summer. The internship will be attended by Monica Lagrange ’24, Chloe Merwin ’23, Casey Schwarzschild ’24, Elena Serenko ’24, and Jack Yuster ’23. Rising senior Anastasia Junelle ’25 will also spend the summer at Pixar, attending the Pixar Undergraduate Program (PUP), preparing her for a career as a technical director.
Each summer Pixar chooses 10 students to attend their 12-week Animation Internship at its headquarters in Emeryville, California. Ringling College animators have been awarded half of the internships offered this year.
Serenko was also offered a full-time job as an animator at Psyop after her internship with the company in her sophomore year. Yuster received multiple Rookie awards for his student work Cheeky, and his Character Animation Reel; Merwin received multiple Rookies for the animation, Bent Out of Shape; and Schwarzschild received two Rookies. Rookie of the Year 2023 Lagrange previously interned at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Duolingo.
Pixar is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, and is responsible for some of the most successful animations of all time, from the Toy Story series of movies and Monsters Inc. to Coco and Soul. Interns work alongside Pixar employees and contribute as members of the team. They are also invited to attend lectures and screenings that take place on the Pixar campus over their time there.
