“I am autistic and legally blind since birth. If you walk around with a pirate’s eye-patch on one of your eyes, that’s how I see.

I have loved drawing and singing ever since I was a very little kid. I also loved performing Christmas songs on stage in high school and getting the crowd to sing and dance along. In 2016, when I was 14-years- old, I started attending a film class at the WBACTC doing audio visual work. I joined because my main goal is to become a voice actress, but I also learned other things there, too, like how a green screen works, how people use cameras, and how editors put the videos together. In March, 2020, before the COVID pandemic hit, I took the NOCTI test that quizzed you on what you learned throughout your years at vo-tech and I got the highest score in my film class that year. It was very hard, and they broke it down into separate days so it was easier for me, but I ended up shining in the end.

Ever since I graduated and left GNA, I started the transition program at Luzerne County Community College, where they teach you the basics of independent living and taking care of yourself. Since it’s through the LIU, I can still attend the WBACTC until I turn 21 and graduate from there. Now I animate my own short series called “Piyo Dreams of the World.” It is a show about a hamster named Piyo (who I am the voice of) that teaches preschoolers topics such as colors, feelings, and shapes. I’ve even been featured on the news for it!

I would like everyone at GNA to know that I am trying my hardest. Remember me when I make it to the big screen!”

Bianca Buchanan, 2020

Student and animator