Alumni Success Stories
Cypress College Art Department has Many Student Success Stories Representing all of the Department’s Studio Programs and Concentrations
Each of the artists or designers presented here have completed their program of study at Cypress College and many have transferred to a university or an art school, graduated, and are now successfully working in their chosen field.
Diane Vaquerano
After finishing her coursework in the Art Department at Cypress College, Diane went on to receive a BFA in Graphic Design at California State University, Long Beach. Diane is currently a web designer at GUESS and a cofounder of the clothing brand MNGO/LLMA with her partner Cynthia Yeung.
BRIAN MCNAMARA
After finishing his coursework in the Art Department at Cypress College, Brian went on to receive a BFA Degree in Ceramics at California State University, Chico. Brian is an exhibiting artist and has participated in conferences, exhibitions and artist residencies, including the prestigious Taos Clay Center in Taos, New Mexico. Brian has worked for a variety of institutions throughout the United States and is currently employed as a studio assistant in New York.
AJ Dungo
After finishing his coursework in the Art Department at Cypress College, AJ went on to receive a Bachelor Degree in Illustration at ArtCenter College of Design. AJ is an active exhibiting artist and working full-time designer at Sketchers and does free-lance illustration for a variety of clients, including The New York Times.
Jason Hernandez
After finishing his coursework in the Art Department at Cypress College, Hernandez went on to receive a BFA Degree at ArtCenter College of Design. Hernandez is currently working as Head Graphic Designer at Vapor Nation and maintains an active career as an exhibiting artist. His artworks have been regularly exhibited in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and New York. Additionally, Hernandez’s paintings have been profiled in a number of publications including Juxtapoz Magazine and The Huffington Post.
Hai Hoang
After finishing his coursework in the Art Department at Cypress College, Hai went on to receive a BFA Degree in Game Art at Laguna College of Art + Design. He is currently working as a concept artist and illustrator for a variety of entertainment companies throughout the world including Cryptozoic, Mantic Games, and Gorgona Books. Hai is also an instructor, who teaches a variety of courses in Art, Media Arts, and Design at Comicola & Time Sun See in Vietnam.
Nadia Afghani
After finishing her coursework in the Art Department at Cypress College , Afghani went on to receive a Master Degree in Interrelated Media at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She is now a full-time instructor at Otis College of Art and Design, where she works with students in their Model Shop. Afghani is also a member of Finishing School (FS), a socially engaged art, design, and technology collective that exhibits work throughout the United States and abroad. Their practice investigates the many intersections of play, praxis, and activism. Additionally, Nadia is also writer/designer for Indievisual Design.
Shyleen Davis
After finishing her coursework in the Art Department at Cypress College, Davis went on to receive a Bachelor Degree in Fashion Design at Otis College of Art and Design. She is now a fashion blogger and design technician at the Kellwood Company.“Davis enjoys the freedom to explore fashion design, illustration and the combination of both through limitless visual restrictions. Her work blurs the lines between 2D and 3D art and highlights the constant push and pull between the two mediums through visual romantic feminine designs. The struggle drives her creativity forming an edge to her designs. The lines in Davis’s work sweep off both the page and the fabric. She hopes to catch the viewer connecting to her artwork. Creating a stronger connection between viewer and artist is important. She is always weaving between the two worlds of fashion design and illustration, always suggesting glimpses of her process, which is important to her.” - Shyleen Davis, Artist Statement
Amy Wise
After finishing her coursework in the Art Department at Cypress College, Wise went on to receive a BFA at San Francisco Art Institute. She is currently an active exhibiting artist and working as a sign designer. Her artwork was most recently included in an exhibition at The Midway Gallery in San Francisco, CA. “Her watercolor portraits illustrate the psychological energies of love, loss and anxiety, while her most recent oil paintings emphasize the “internet selfie” and the examining of the self through the lens of social media.” – Amy Wise, Artist Statement
Peter Perez
After finishing his coursework in the Art Department at Cypress College, Perez went on to receive a BFA in Visual Communication at School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Perez has held several Designer and Art Director positions over the years, including at The YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and Legacy Marketing. He has produced work for Modelo, Pacifico, Visa, Tic Tac, and Wilson. He is currently working with Nike/Air Jordan. Peter is also a major contributor for local Chicago clothing brand DBM, where he develops overall branding, provides retail design, organizes pop up shops, and oversees web design. Peter's newest project, Loggers, is also a Chicago-based clothing brand.
Carlos Ramirez
After finishing his coursework in the Art Department at Cypress College, Ramirez went on to receive a BA in Art Education at California State University Long Beach. Ramirez has held several museum positions over the years, including at the Long Beach Museum of Art. He is currently working at the Irvine Fine Arts Center and pursuing a Master in Art History at California State University Long Beach.