When PennWest Edinboro senior Taney Basinger steps into a studio or classroom, her energy and drive are immediately evident. Whether leading an animation project, mentoring new students, or curating social media content for a national landmark, Basinger embodies the qualities of a young leader on the rise.
That dedication earned her recognition this fall as Edinboro’s nominee for the ATHENA Young Professional Award. The award, an extension of the internationally renowned ATHENA Leadership Award, honors outstanding young college students who demonstrate both professional excellence and a commitment to serving their communities.
“Taney is already a leader in her field and on our campus,” said Amanda Brown Sissem, associate vice president of Alumni Engagment and Edinboro campus administrator. “She is a role model and an inspiration to her peers.”
A double major in animation and film with a minor in metals, Basinger is currently serving her second term as president of the Animation Club and works as a film lab aide in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts. She frequently represents the program at recruitment events, welcoming prospective students and offering tours.
Her creativity has already drawn international attention. In 2024, she led a team of Edinboro students to a fourth-place finish among 559 global competitors in the 24 HOURS Animation Contest. Their stop-motion film, Stop Mo Rules, tackled the theme of artificial intelligence in art and went on to screen at the Animation in Film Festival in Hollywood, California.
That same year, Basinger produced The Dollhouse, a documentary profiling Erie entrepreneur Emily George and her Pointe Foure boutique. The film has been screened at festivals across North America, Europe, and Asia, earning Best Fashion Film at the CineParis Film Festival.
Most recently, she collaborated with Animation Professor Brad Pattullo on his short film Viscous and spent the summer of 2025 as the Fawcett Digital Multimedia Intern at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. Living on site, she curated digital platforms for the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy while preparing to teach animation at Pittsburgh’s FUTURE CAMP for Autistic and neurodivergent youth.
Beyond her artistic achievements, Basinger is known for her leadership and mentorship across campus. She has served as an orientation leader, guiding new students through their transition to college, and as a community assistant in a first-year residence hall. Her peers recognized her with the Residence Life Problem Solver Award for her ability to handle challenges with professionalism and empathy. She also contributed to the Campus Life social media team, creating content that highlighted the Edinboro experience.
“Pleasantly tractable and bravely curious, Taney does not wait to be invited, instructed, or told what to do,” Sissem said. “She is an exemplar of the ATHENA Leadership Model as evidenced by her artistic accomplishments, her service to her campus community and her work empowering others.”
For Basinger, the ATHENA nomination is both an honor and a steppingstone. As she looks toward graduation and the next stage of her career, she remains committed to creating meaningful art and fostering community both on and off campus.