I am a graphic designer based in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. I was born and raised in Oak Cliff with my two sisters, parents, and a dog named Fatty. Growing up in a Mexican immigrant household is a key part of my upbringing and continues to play a role in my designs and work ethic in general. My parents raised me to give everything my 110% and my goal was always to help my family financially once I graduated.

When I was re-choosing my major for university at the wise and old age of 18 after studying film for 3 months, I knew I wanted to stay in the arts. Then an issue arose: my parents kept asking me “Are you sure there are jobs for that in Dallas?” “Will you be able to make money” “What is it that you do again?.”  The concept of graphic design was foreign to my parents, whose work consisted of manual labor such as cleaning houses with rooms that triple what we had in our humbly-sized home. So there I was, a teenager, unsure of my future when I chose graphic design. I thought “This combines my interest and job security. I like art and I’d like to make money so this is a perfect fit for me!” Boy was I wrong.

It wasn’t until I struggled to understand the principles of design that I started to appreciate the art of graphic design more. I remember spending days cycling thorugh negative thoughts because I just couldn’t get my typography correct, figure out the right layout, or find the perfect color palette. I thought, “Oh my god, if I don’t do well on this assignment, I will fail the class. If I fail the class, I fail to get a degree. If I fail to get a degree, I fail to get a job. If I fail to get a job, I fail to succeed. And worst of all, if I fail to succeed, I fail my parents.”

As with all things, with time, I improved, and I started to fall in love with design. Now, I not only was in it for the money, but I was in it for the joy of the game. I want to  will make an impact with my designs. Design has the capability to form the world around us- it has the power to be revolutionary. In my career, my goal is to make a path forward for those who look like me, think like me, and love like me. I will carry my father’s words with me- “Animo! Animo!”, and design with all the fire that lies within me.