For students who dream of working in film, animation or digital effects, success can feel like a distant glow on a cinema screen. Sheridan College’s latest news makes that future feel a little more real: five graduates from its Faculty of Animation, Arts & Design have earned 2026 Primetime Emmy nominations for sound and visual-effects work. Their projects include major television productions, but the useful takeaway for future students is not simply the red-carpet headline. It is that creative careers are built one skill, one collaborator and one finished piece at a time.

Picture a typical study week: an early critique, a group project that needs one more revision, headphones on during a late edit, and a classmate offering a sharper idea. Those everyday moments can become professional habits. Sheridan’s nominated alumni work in sound editing, Foley and visual effects—fields where a strong portfolio matters, but so do reliability, communication and the ability to solve a problem when a deadline is close. For international students, working alongside classmates from different backgrounds is also valuable practice for explaining ideas clearly and becoming comfortable with feedback.

From a study-abroad adviser’s perspective, this story is a reminder to choose a creative program for the experience around the classroom. Before applying, look closely at the kind of work students make, the facilities they use, the projects they complete and the connections they can build. Once enrolled, save your best work, ask for feedback, join a collaboration even when it feels challenging, and learn to describe your contribution with confidence. An Emmy nomination is not a promise that comes with an admission letter. Yet Sheridan’s alumni news shows a more practical truth: when students keep making, improving and sharing their work, a classroom project can become the first scene of a much larger career story.