Graphic design has become inevitable for me. It follows me everywhere—from newspaper ads to the beautiful typography found on the old turn of the last century buildings in downtown El Paso, Texas. It has transformed me into a person that enjoys expressing my thoughts visually even if just with some weird hand-drawn doodles.

Growing up, art was always the way for me to keep busy and now it is what has made me a first-generation college student. It helped keep me out of trouble in my rough, but beautiful neighborhood, El Paso’s Segundo Barrio. Once a place that suffered from gang activity and a cuture of drugs, today it is a loving community of which I am proud to be a part. It is quite amazing how my education has helped me reach the level I find myself at now. I have become an aspiring graphic designer and fine artist whose ideas revolve around all sorts of art and inspiration from my border city. I find it exciting to mix graphic design with other media, especially my love of printmaking. When these experiments do not work out as expected, I am challenged to work even harder. The possibilities push me to strive to not just stay in one place, but to keep my mind flowing and to gather ideas from all sources, not just art.