Meet Our Student of the Month: Mira Shupe

Each month, WhatTheyTh!nk, in partnership with the Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation (PGSF), profiles a promising student in a graphic communications or related program. The goal is to raise awareness of graphic communications programs, as well as help students like Mira Shupe get a “leg up” on entering the industry after graduation. 

This month’s Student of the Month is Mira Shupe, a student in her fourth year at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) majoring in Graphic Communication, with a concentration in Graphics for packaging. Associate professor Dina Vees, on her nomination form, said of Mira, “Mira is meticulous in her work, consistently demonstrating attention to detail and a commitment to excellence. She is an excellent problem solver, approaching challenges with creativity and determination. Her willingness to help others reflects strong teamwork and empathy, while her excellent communication skills makes her a respected and effective collaborator among peers and teachers alike.”

As she embarked on her university career, like many students her age, the trick was reconciling various interests and picking a course of study.

“I’m from Seattle originally, and I was always an artist growing up,” said Mira. “I really loved graphic design, typography, letter work, but I also loved science, technology, STEM, and I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do with all of those things.” It was the discovery of Cal Poly’s Graphic Communication program that led her to see how all of her interests could work together.

“It really put it in a more tangible, more applicable sense,” she said. “I was able to combine all those interests and still get to work with graphic design. I’m actually developing a really tangible skill set that I could apply to a lot more than just the creative fields.”

As she moved through her coursework, she felt increasingly drawn to the printing process. “As I started taking classes in graphic communication, I realized that my favorite part of it were the printing classes,” she said. “The major also includes a lot of stuff about UX/UI design management, and we have a graphic reproduction concentration, but all of my favorite classes were working with the printers.”

And that, in turn, led her to packaging. “Getting to design stuff and actually manufacture the plates and run the press and make a real product start to finish was my favorite part,” she said, “and I thought that packaging was the industry that really helps keep print alive nowadays. People interact with packaging every day, and there are a lot of opportunities to work with sustainability.”

Read the Full Artcle about Mira Shupe Here

Watch Mira’s interview with WhatTheyTh!nk Here