Applied Learning Stories

Five Wichita State graphic design seniors partnered with Dzanc Publishing to design original paperback book covers, gaining hands-on experience in a professional publishing environment. Guided by Joshua Smith, Assistant Director of Graphic Design, the students collaborated directly with authors and the Dzanc team to develop visually distinctive concepts that reflect each book's voice and audience.

Jordan Devoy is a Fine Arts alumna, who majored in filmmaking and graduated in December 2025. Before earning her bachelor’s degree in media arts with a filmmaking concentration, she had on-the-job training at Shocker Studios. Devoy gained experience in solo and collaborative projects throughout the production process. As a studio videographer, she shot and edited videos for Shocker Studios and its clients.

Wichita State fine arts senior Samantha Bunce is one step closer to becoming a full-time art educator. In fall 2025, she began student teaching at Wichita Brooks Middle School. Under the guidance of art educator Lauren Gilmore, Bunce crafted a creative learning environment for students at this STEM and arts magnet middle school.

Zayden Tomson, a graphic design senior, currently interns with the Shocker Career Accelerator, where he creates promotional materials for student career resources and events. His professional design journey with the Shocker Career Accelerator began in Summer 2025, and since then, he’s been refining his skills while making a visible impact across campus.

Niki Noland is a spring 2025 Wichita State graduate who majored in studio art, concentrating in print media. Before leaving Wichita State and the College of Fine Arts, Noland directly impacted Wichita’s art scene, interning for the City of Wichita’s Arts and Cultural Services Department and Public Art Manager, Jana Erwin.

As a fourth-year graphic design major at Wichita State, Janis Hwang has found her applied learning experience to be both creatively fulfilling and professionally transformative. Through her role designing for No Choice but Action, a project that aims to preserve and highlight Kansas' often-overlooked role in American independent and post-punk music, she has been able to develop a deeper understanding of what it means to work as a designer in a real-world context.

Luke Samuelson, a senior majoring in game design, has found a unique intersection of creativity, technology, and applied learning through his role at Shocker Studios. As an LED volume and game design lab technician, he is already laying the foundation for a career that blends the immersive world of game development with the rapidly evolving field of virtual production. His dream job would be to produce games for either AAA companies or as an independent developer while also working to develop scenes for virtual production.

As a sophomore pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Design & Technical Theatre at Wichita State University, Lena Castro has stepped into a leadership role that combines both technical expertise and mentorship. Lena’s applied learning experience as the head electrician and student lighting supervisor has been instrumental in shaping their skills and career aspirations.