Connie Flores is a Mexican-American designer born and raised in Houston, TX. She recently graduated from Syracuse University, receiving a bachelor’s in Communications Design. With a passion for problem solving and social justice, she practices brand identity, storytelling, illustration, and digital design to raise awareness towards issues at the intersection of community and activism. Having been involved in identity led spaces and initiatives, she hopes to create content and narratives that positively impact and empower communities through design and believes that the first step in creating effective design is knowing and involving your audience (maybe over some delicious food!).

Jarrod Mayes is an artist and designer from Concord, North Carolina. He is a recent graduate of Appalachian State University, where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. He has worked as a designer at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, and has most recently held a design internship with Dutch agency Ape to Zebra. He is interested in exploring the relationship between design and activism, and seeks to build a career using design to advocate for positive societal change. In his personal work, he maintains a passion for traditional drawing, as well as digital illustration.

Aska Mukuti is a graphic designer who recently moved to New York for an internship with non-profit, IDEO.org. She worked on the Communications Team to express the organization’s brand of storytelling across a range of digital, print, and interactive mediums. Since coming to New York she has been inspired by the diversity of black creatives and educators making work at the intersections of tech and activism. As a teacher and tutor of both design and academic related subjects, she loves to work with students to create tools and activities that encourage academic confidence and increase learning engagement.

Juliana Castro Varón is a Colombian graphic designer and open education enthusiast. She designs books, campaigns, and websites for people to interact and engage with. Juliana has worked for museums and cultural institutions, including NC-arte in Bogotá, the Guggenheim Museum in NYC and the Visual Arts Center in Austin, Texas. She is the founder of Cita, an open-source feminist digital library publishing books written by women. Juliana is a Fulbright scholar and is currently finishing her MFA in Design at UT Austin. 

Nyomi Warren or Ny, for short, is originally from the Boston area, is fortunate to be graduating from an intimate graphic design program at Penn State, to have competed with Penn State’s Figure Skating Team these past four years, and to now be a finalist for this incredible opportunity. I’m passionate about what I do, which is why work will never be work. Design is all about projecting relevant ideas, and I’m humbled by the possibility to share my passion while also advocating for social change.

Obligatory fun facts: vegan, cooking enthusiast, lover of groutfits, competitive figure skater, feminist.