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Meet Carlos Montoya-Aviles, recipient of the Cody Sawatsky Memorial Award in Gaming
Carlos Montoya-Aviles is a SIAT student pursuing a Bachelor of Science. He was recently presented with the Cody Sawatsky Memorial Award in Gaming.
From a young age, Carlos had an interested in the arts, especially films and video games. The history and stories told through these mediums, both on screen and behind the scenes, particularly stood out to Carlos.
鈥淚 have vivid, cherished memories of making stop-motion fight scenes out of LEGO minifigures with my best friend using Windows Movie Maker or my dad and I playing through Ocarina of Time and being in awe at the epic adventures Zelda games held,鈥� he says.
After graduating high school, Carlos knew he wanted to pursue a career making films and video games, but found himself on an educational path pursuing what he felt others wanted him to do, rather than what truly mattered to him.
Feeling unhappy with his decisions and needing a change, Carlos decided to listen to his gut and transfer to 丁香园AV where he began taking courses in Interactive Arts & Technology.
鈥淩ight in front of me were people making amazing projects in the mediums I adored. I knew I had to make the jump and once I did, it was night and day.鈥�
It took Carlos some time to adjust and to find his footing at SIAT but being passionate about his studies and working towards his dreams made all the difference.
鈥淛oining SIAT was the best thing that could have happened in my academic career,鈥� says Carlos. 鈥淚t allowed me to dedicate myself to what mattered most to me.鈥�
Since joining SIAT, Carlos has been able to showcase his filmmaking around Vancouver and allowed him to refine his game development skills.
This year, Carlos has been named as the recipient of the Cody Sawatsky Memorial Award in Gaming, an award that recognizes a SIAT student who has successfully completed course work in gaming and has demonstrated outstanding project work within the completed course work.
The award is presented in memory of Cody Sawatsky, an engaged and driven SIAT alumnus who was very successful as a video game producer and designer in Vancouver. Cody passed away in 2016.
鈥淚鈥檓 deeply humbled and grateful to be the [Cody Sawatsky Award] recipient this year, and in researching its history, I鈥檓 touched by the award鈥檚 legacy,鈥� says Carlos. 鈥淩eceiving the award has made me reflect on my journey this far and has made me confident that I鈥檝e driven myself towards the right path.鈥�