Looking back a decade after receiving my B.A. [bachelor of arts] in art in 2016, my reflection isn’t just about where I’ve landed – it’s about how the map was drawn in the first place.
Would you believe my first “published” design was a Halloween poster made entirely in Microsoft Paint? Knowing nothing about Adobe tools or design software, it was just me, pixel by pixel, trying to lure classmates to a “free food” bash. Back then, my friends at the Valparaiso International Student Association (VISA) would watch me doodle and genuinely marvel as squiggles turned into something real. They swore I gave them chills (I swear it was the art, not the haunted house theme). Those honest reactions were the spark that set everything in motion.
My Valpo life revolved around two hubs: studio grinding and the international community. I served on the VISA executive board and landed my first marketing/graphic design job ever with the Office of International Programs (OIP) – a role [former Director and Professor] Moninder “Holly” Singh [‘98, ‘05 M.A.,] created specifically for me. That experience cracked my world wide open, introducing me to cultures and stories that still shape my work today.
While foundational classes provided the technical toolkit, the real “secret sauce” of my Valpo education was the wisdom imparted by the faculty. I only had a few classes with Professors Robert “Bob” Sirko[, MFA], Sarah Jantzi, and Aimee Tomasek[, MFA], but those brief semesters altered my trajectory entirely. The late Professor Sirko showed me that you don’t have to pick a single lane; you can be a painter, a designer, and anything else you set your mind to, instilling the belief that life isn’t about finding your path, but creating it. Professor Jantzi gave me the gift of seeing beauty in humble places, teaching me oil painting through her eclectic collection of everyday props. Then there was Professor Tomasek, who handed me one of the most powerful mindset shifts of my life: learning to turn negative criticism into your best ally and leaning into your quirks rather than trying to fit into certain boxes. When she told me my quirkiness was my greatest strength to make my work magnetic, I secretly wondered if she needed more coffee that day. A few years later, I realized she couldn’t have been more right – embracing that advice made my work stand out in a hyper-competitive field.
Valpo gave me a solid launchpad, and I ran with it. Over the past decade, I moved fluidly across fine art, design, education, and creative leadership, earning two advanced degrees along the way: a master’s degree in art education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) in 2019, followed by a master’s degree in entrepreneurship from Columbia College Chicago (CCC) in 2021. (Pro tip: wrapping a master’s program in a single year is not recommended if you value beauty sleep or a social life!)
Two years post Valpo, I launched Ranbu, an 80-piece abstract painting series created entirely without brushes. Its success sparked my next series, Constellation, as I began dreaming bigger and pushing my work beyond traditional galleries — from art hotels to the Carrousel du Louvre, a Guinness Record exhibition, and even a billboard glowing above Times Square. That 2020 momentum brought ongoing invitations to judge international design awards for AIVA and the Farmani Group — of all people to trust with a red pen for over seven years straight.
By 2022, I found my sweet spot at Colorado State University as a graphic designer for the marketing and brand management team — the ultimate intersection of artist, designer, and educator. I’ve accumulated various awards over the years, but nothing hits quite like winning as a team. This past July, our crew took home an Emmy for Best Children’s Program for WizKid at CSU SPUR (yes, that “pointy lightning wings” fairy trophy!). If you had told senior-year me that she’d help win an Emmy, serve as a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant panelist, or advocate for artists through the UNESCO-partnered IAA-USA, she’d probably laugh and then faint on repeat. But here we are. Turns out the VISA exec board habit of showing up and helping build something never really left me; it just found new committees.
Looking back from the vantage point of the Class of 2016, these milestones are the ripple effects of a community that believed in me before I fully believed in myself. The art program at Valpo may be smaller than majors like nursing or engineering, but it quietly nurtures creative powerhouses who go on to do wild things. I stand by that — after all, I’m not the only Emmy winner from this department, and I was far from a straight-A student! Hearing friends and mentors say, “Only you could come up with something like this,” or “This isn’t a dead end, it’s just another puzzle to solve,” permanently reframed how I approach my work. It taught me that creativity is a true superpower capable of making a real, powerful impact out there — just like my peers in STEM [(science, technology, engineering, and math)] fields, but in my own distinct way.
To current Valpo students: embrace slow growth — it’s real growth. Lean into your technical foundation, but prioritize your relationships. Hold tight to friends who celebrate your wins as loud as or louder than you do. Trust me, you’ll realize how hard it is to build deep connections in your thirties as adult life gets busier, and how precious it is when the same friends who got you kicked out of the library at 2 a.m. for maniacal laughing 10 years ago are still sending you dumb Instagram memes to choke on at 2 a.m. today. That connection remains just as strong through time and distance. I’m deeply grateful for an alumni network that offers both “reel-ationships” and real support. Valpo didn’t just launch my career; it gave me the confidence to “design my dream path.” Here’s to the lessons learned, the paths we create instead of find, and another decade of making art out of the everyday.
Profile Picture: Now
Profile Picture: Then
Fun Facts (A.K.A. The Accidental Valpo Legacies)
The Eight-Minute Myth: Google Maps swore the walk from my residence hall to any building on campus was a breezy eight to 11 minutes. My actual commute? A solid 1.5 hours — and honestly, that didn’t just apply to me, but to almost everyone. Blame it on the friendly faces everywhere! Bumping into people every 10 feet to chat is why I almost never ended my day before 3 a.m. Honestly, it’s a miracle I made it to graduation without panda eyes!
The “Main Dorm” and The Midnight Lockout: I never actually napped or slept there, but the Christopher Center Library was my main room — I logged more hours there than in my real bed or studio, which says everything about my priorities. I’m about 95% sure my loud friends and I are why the library started kicking people out at midnight back in 2017; before that, it closed at 2 a.m., so current staff have two fewer hours of shenanigans to deal with. You’re welcome, I guess.
The Stage Mural: In 2014, I painted a mural across the Harre Union Ballroom’s stage as a farewell gift for Holly Singh’s last Annual World Banquet. It was supposed to be a one-time send-off, not a tradition! Sorry, not sorry, to the VISA crews who inherited it — I know it’s a lot, but it’s way too late to stop now!
