Lashay Riley

Kandas Barker M.A. is known personally and professionally as Lashay Riley. As a child, Lashay’s unstable and volatile home environment lead her to seek solace in stories. It was this experience that showed her the value of storytelling and fueled a passion to one day help create those stories. Lashay went on to earn her Bachelor in Psychology from Grand Canyon University, graduating Suma Cum Laude. She could not, however, shake her desire to tell stories through productions. She soon enrolled at Academy of Art University where she earned her MA in Animation and Visual Effects and is currently studying to receive her MFA of the same degree in October 2024. In the year 2022 Lashay made the pivotal decision to enroll in StudioX, a course that simulates a professional studio where she has since worked on several productions and risen to the role of Associate VFX Supervisor. With her graduation looming Lashay looks forward to the next chapters in her story.