You Know Rodney, Right?
An unexpected journey leads to animation, mixed media and America.
From the Winter 2024 issue of Sacred Heart University Magazine
Sometimes when you head down a path, life turns you around to go in an entirely different direction. And sometimes that new direction brings you to the other side of the world. First-year student Rodney Osumo ’28, MA ’29 had his psychology diploma in hand from the University of Nairobi in Kenya when a musician friend asked him to help film a music video. “I had never done anything like that before,” he explains. “As I was editing, I just fell in love.”
Film editing evolved into animation. “I grew up watching animated films, of course, but it never occurred to me that animation was something I would ever be able to do,” he says. Osumo spent a year practicing and self-learning 3D animation software. He started designing logos, posters and animations as a freelancer for businesses and organizations in Kenya, and then he decided he wanted to find a school and learn more.
When searching for schools that matched his career goals, he found three worldwide: Vancouver Film School in Canada, University of the Arts London and Sacred Heart University. “Sacred Heart had made the most investment in the program, with the NeXReality Lab at West Campus,” Osumo says, speaking of the state-of-the-art facility that offers a collaborative augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality workspace.
After a virtual tour of the campus, he made his decision: Sacred Heart was where he was meant to be. “The best animation studios are in America,” Osumo says. “That is where the best opportunities will be.” He enrolled in a five-year program and will graduate in 2028 with his bachelor’s in immersive media & mixed reality. He will earn his master’s in film & television in 2029.
“I get so much joy being here,” Osumo says. “First of all, there’s 63’s,” he says with a smile, referring to one of his favorite places on campus. Beyond the all-you-can-eat dining hall, he has spent his first semester developing relationships with faculty and staff on campus as well as fellow students. “You can bring up your own ideas and even challenge professors in class to have a dialogue,” he says. He appreciates getting to know his professors, an opportunity he did not have at his first university.
“I want to be intentional about my experience here,” he says of his first time in America.
Todd Barnes, the assistant chair of communication & media programs and Osumo’s adviser, says the feeling is mutual. “It didn’t take him any time at all to make a name for himself around the department. I found myself saying, ‘You know Rodney, right?’ to colleagues after he had only been here for a few weeks,” Barnes says.
Osumo took President John Petillo’s words at first-year convocation to heart when he advised students to get involved. “I want to be intentional about my experience here,” he says of his first time in America. He joined both the rugby and sailing club teams (with no prior sailing experience), the gospel choir and the Black student union. He works at JP’s Diner and does volunteer work through the Office of Community Engagement.
Osumo also joined the University’s inclusive excellence advisory council. “Colonization is still recent in Kenya’s history,” Osumo says. “Just being involved in something like the inclusive excellence advisory committee hits close to my heart. I’m able to really contribute to discussions with doctors who have a Ph.D.—once I get past the impostor syndrome.”
He’s cut back on his business to concentrate on his studies. Student Advising & Success helped him set up a calendar to incorporate all of his activities. He also did something drastic to free up time—he removed all the social media apps from his phone. “I don’t miss them. I was spending too much time in my room, just scrolling,” he says. Now that he’s off the apps, you will find him all over campus—and everyone has the opportunity to get to know Rodney.
Osumo went from designing logos and posters as a freelancer in Kenya to pursuing a bachelor's in immersive media & mixed reality in Fairfield.
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