Kaivahn Sarkaratpour
I majored in Design and Visual Communication with a Business Minor and certificate in Digital Fabrication at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. My studies allowed for me to be well rounded and see the impact design can have. I spent most of my time working across campus doing graphic design which helped me discover some of the many paths I could take after graduation. I interned for the marketing department and learned about brand standards and consistent messaging; was a research student helping assemble and design learning materials to build 3D printed prosthetic hands for young children and worked in a research office helping develop apps to evaluate the accessibility of buildings and public spaces.
When I wasn’t working or in class I spent a lot of my time volunteering as a mentor and tutor for two amazing organizations. I tutored for six years with Our Next Generation helping Milwaukee youth with their homework and really got to know the students and see their growth and success. The second organization was Islands of Brilliance where I got the opportunity to mentor young students on the autism spectrum in using the Adobe suite to develop their own original artwork over a six session course.
My post college career led me down a path of finding organizations that value innovation and collaboration using design to spread the message of their core values and engage with an even larger community. I briefly worked for a manufacturing company designing catalogs and other promotional materials before taking on a role at Marquette University in their new innovation space called the 707 Hub. I helped develop a brand for the space to use for promoting our services across campus. What was truly rewarding was the many hats I got to wear as the Innovation Design Coordinator, managing our mini makerspace by holding workshops on 3D printing and design, designing logos for student startups and engage with them to challenge their thinking and offer advice. I left Marquette to join the Museum of Wisconsin Art where I had the opportunity to develop marketing materials and exhibition graphics to elevate and excite our members to participate in programming and explore the great talents of Wisconsin artists. I am now looking forward to what the future holds and where my career will take me next.