Meet the Graduating Class

by Megan Kirby
Illustrations by Grace Kim

Khushi Shah
BFA

Hometown:
Ahmedabad, India

Three words that describe you:
Eclectic, tenacious, inquisitive.

What’s your most memorable moment at SAIC?
My most memorable moment at SAIC was during a critique in one of my classes, where I presented an idea I had been working on. My professor and fellow students not only loved the concept but were so enthusiastic about it that they encouraged me to seek funding and investment to turn it into a reality. Their support and belief in my idea gave me the confidence to seriously consider launching it in the market, and it’s a moment that solidified my passion for blending creativity and entrepreneurship.

What’s something you learned at SAIC?
At SAIC, I learned how to embrace the process of making—not just the final outcome—while pushing the boundaries of creativity and discovering my authentic artistic voice.

What inspires you?
Bookstores, long walks, tech podcasts, and talking to new people.

What’s one sentence that describes your work?
My work is a fusion of creativity, innovation, and purpose, designed to inspire, solve problems, and leave a meaningful impact on the world.

What advice would you give to incoming students?
At SAIC, take full advantage of the interdisciplinary approach. Experiment with different mediums, collaborate across departments, and let your curiosity guide you. Embrace critiques as opportunities to grow, build strong connections with faculty and peers, and remember to balance hard work with self-care. Most importantly, trust your creative instincts and don’t be afraid to push boundaries—that’s where true innovation happens.

Milo Gumucio Davis
BFA

Hometown:
Boulder, Colorado

Three words that describe you:
Curious, enthusiastic, empathetic.

What’s your most memorable moment at SAIC?
My most memorable and fulfilling experience at SAIC has been witnessing the growth and development of Transfiguration. What started out as a simple idea (advocating for inclusion for trans figure models at SAIC) has grown into a welcoming community space that provides SAIC students with the opportunity to practice figure drawing, as well as providing paid modeling experience to trans people of all experience levels. It's been a privilege and joy to build a space where trans people and wellness are centered in figure drawing.

What’s something you learned at SAIC?
My experiences in Art Education and Transfiguration taught me about building equitable, positive spaces for transformative learning and art making.

What was your favorite class, or who was your favorite teacher?
The most life-altering and impactful courses I took at SAIC were Afrofuturity with Associate Professor, Adj. D. Denenge Duyst-Akpem and Practices 1 and 2 with Assistant Professor Melita Morales in the Art Education department.

What inspires you?
Reading books, the process of paper weaving, pharmaceutical scraps, drum rudiments, vent art and journals, symbolic acts of surgery, funny animals. 

Jung Soo Kim
MFA

Hometown:
Seoul, Korea

Three words that describe you:
Observant, communicative, reactive.

What’s your most memorable moment at SAIC?
When SAIC students and faculty listened to and discussed what I was showing, especially during critiques. I truly appreciated everyone who came to see my work and engaged in discussions about how we could further develop this visual language.

What’s something you learned at SAIC?
The importance of community. I began to understand how artists create a community and build narratives to support one another, which I believe is crucial as an artist.

What was your favorite class, or who was your favorite teacher?
It’s hard to choose just one since every class was outstanding. If I have to highlight something, I’d mention Graduate Advising, one-on-one meetings with faculty every two weeks (usually) for an hour. These sessions deeply inspired me and helped me see my work more clearly. I’d like to give special thanks to Kristin McWharter, assistant professor in Art and Technology / Sound Practices, who worked with me multiple times and offered invaluable insights.

What inspires you?
The environment around me, deep conversations with the people I meet, and the incredible work I’ve experienced from my cohorts.

Sisel Gelman Montero
MFA

Hometown:
Mexico City

Three words that describe you:
Ambitious, curious, and jumps-quick-to-love.

What’s your most memorable moment at SAIC?
The last two years have been an absolute dream. I leave full of happy memories—traveling to Kansas City with my MFA in Writing best friends to represent SAIC at Association of Writers & Writing Programs, writing workshops in which my peers’ positive critique reframed the value with which I see my writing, winning my first author award for my column at SAIC’s student publication F Newsmagazine, the daily personal joys of living at the Buckingham with the best roommates ever.

What’s something you learned at SAIC?
Everyone has different writing interests, and that is so cool. The MFAW department has a wide breadth of works-in-progress (future bestsellers) in every genre, topic, and form. It’s mind-blowing to hear fantasy writers explain their worldbuilding while standing beside poets inquiring about their line breaks. SAIC taught me how individualized these interests can become, and how to learn from each other’s strengths with respect.

Who was your favorite teacher?
Professor Jesse Ball is the role model I aspire to become someday as a writer, a professor, and a kind human being. I am infinitely lucky—and grateful—to have enrolled at SAIC just at the right time to learn under his mentorship for a semester.

What advice would you give to incoming students?
A poorly written page is worth infinitely more than an empty page. Write poorly. Write often. Write with heart. ■