We kicked off our Career Exploration Series with a panel of 4 graphic designers in January, 2025!
Our inaugural Career Exploration Panel was a huge success! Our studio was packed with teens, parents, and young adults eager to learn from and connect with four local panelists with diverse backgrounds and experiences in Graphic Design:
- Blake Johnson:
- In-house Graphic Designer & Screenprinter for Silkscreen Marketing and Hope College Campus Ministries
- Freelance work with small businesses like Stovetop Roasters
- Mariah Slenk
- Founder & Principal Designer of Spark Creative Co.
- In-house Graphic Designer for Trinity Christian College
- Jamie Phonhthalyhane
- In-house Graphic Designer for ODL
- Freelance Illustration & Design
- Character Design teacher at CultureWorks (and newly hired as our part time Graphic Design & Marketing Assistant!)
- Allyse Karam
- Art Director for Amazon Publishing – Germany & UK Titles
The Career Exploration Series is part of our larger Visiting Artist Series and was designed to expose students and their families to a diverse range of artistic careers by connecting them with professionals from various backgrounds and fields. Future panels will highlight creative career paths including illustration, photography, product design, engineering design, costume/set design, and film/video production. Through these events, students learn about art-adjacent career opportunities, meet successful role models who share similar racial, ethnic, or socio-economic backgrounds, and connect with local job and internship opportunities.
We’re so grateful for funding from MillerKnoll Foundation and Holland/Zeeland Young Professionals that made this panel possible!
