Earning a national gold medal at just 16 years old might make some artists complacent, but for Taney Basinger, it was just the opening scene.

“I’ve always been a lover of the arts, and I’ve always loved storytelling,” she said.

For Taney, that love stretched across theater, film, television and novels. At 16, she made her first short stop-motion film, an experience that helped confirm filmmaking was more than just a hobby.

“That kind of made me realize, ‘Oh, maybe this is something I’m actually good at and not just something that I enjoy,’” she said.

That realization led her to [PennWest Edinboro, where she chose to double major in Media Arts, BFA – Animation and Media Arts, BFA – Digital Filmmaking and Photography so she could more extensively explore storytelling from different angles. Stop motion became her focus, but she quickly saw how much crossover there was between animation and live-action production. In one medium, she is building puppets and moving them frame by frame;in the other, she is setting up interviews, lighting scenes and editing finished pieces.

“Two different worlds but very much in the same realm,” she said.

That foundation helped open the door to a digital multimedia internship at Fallingwater, an opportunity she found through Handshake, PennWest’s career platform that connects students and alumni with jobs, internships, career events and career coaching.

Drawing on experience from her classes, especially with Professor Brian Fuller, Taney created photography, video and written content in a professional setting. It was a chance to put classroom learning into practice and see how her skills applied to professional settings.

What stands out most in Taney’s journey, however, is not just talent. It is the way she approaches growth. Even after national recognition, she didn’t assume she had it all figured out.

“I knew that I didn’t know a lot,” she said. “I know nothing. Teach me everything.”

That mindset shaped the way she approached critique.

“Whenever I would go into a critique and people would say, ‘This is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong,’ I was like, ‘OK, OK , give me more. Tell me more,’” she said.

That openness helped her learn from other artists, strengthen her work and push herself creatively.

Now, as she looks toward graduation, Taney is exploring photography, videography, editing, fabrication and animation roles with the same openness that shaped her time at PennWest. She wants to get out into the workforce and start making things. After building her craft alongside professors, classmates and a creative campus community that challenged and encouraged her, she is ready.