Sylvia Riley is a 26 year old African-American illustrator and animator based in Jersey City, NJ. After acquiring her BA in History from Caldwell University in 2017, Sylvia decided to follow her other passion, art. She has gained her formal artistic training through various Continued Education courses with the School of Visual Arts and the New York Film Academy. Her studies have taken her around the world, including Paris, California, and the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.

A fervent interest in reaching BIPOC youths through visual art has led Ms.Riley to work as a public school Substitute Teacher in her hometown, as well as becoming an Art Teacher for the Educational Arts Team. She has also done work as a research intern for the show, Finding Your Roots and created designs for t-shirts and glasses as a freelance graphic designer. Her ultimate goal is to craft stories for teens who feel out of place, and regularly wrestle with dark thoughts of unworthiness. When she's not teaching or traveling, you can find Sylvia curled up with a graphic novel, or enthralled in a mystery program.