Student Spotlights
Discover why artists and designers at all levels succeed with RISD Continuing Education.
Curious about what it’s like to take a course after being out of the classroom for a few (or many) years? Or how online learning can work with your schedule? Learn about RISD Continuing Education from students who have experienced it.
Are you a RISD CE student who would like to be featured by #risdceSPOTLIGHT? Fill out this Google Form or email cemedia@risd.edu to learn how.
Student Spotlight: Chelsey de León
"My journey to RISD Continuing Education began when I was offered to take on a luxury interior design project internationally. At the time, I was running an Airbnb and one of the things I [...]
Student Spotlight: Roxana Bergt
“My journey to RISD Continuing Education began when I graduated with a BA in Language and needed a new goal. What surprised me about taking these courses was the quality of instruction and help [...]
Student Spotlight: Jay Davani
“My journey to RISD Continuing Education began when I bought my first digital camera,” says Jay Davani, who earned a certificate in Graphic Design in 2009 and has completed courses toward a certificate in [...]
Student Spotlight: Darrel Sutton
“My youngest daughter is a sophomore in college, which means that I now have time for myself. RISD CE offers certificate programs that fit my budget and schedule. I’m on the quest of becoming a [...]
Student Spotlight: Amy Salomone
"My journey to RISD CE began when I was taking an anatomical portrait class at RISD CE and someone had mentioned being in the Natural Science Illustration certificate program; I felt that it was [...]
Student Spotlight: Claire (Kexin) H.
“My journey to RISD CE began in 2020 when I was a rising sophomore in high school. I am now going into grade 12 and have taken Advanced Program Online courses for three summers. [...]
Student Spotlight: Leah Spencer
"At the time I started the Graphic Design certificate program, I was working as a corporate graphic designer and felt my job was very repetitive and uninspiring. Then two years later, I learned about [...]
Student Spotlight: Reed Pike
“When I moved to Rhode Island I discovered the RISD Continuing Education offerings, and chose to grow as an artist and further my knowledge. A summer credit course, Book Design, challenged me the most. [...]
Student Spotlight: Susana Montañez
“I took my first RISD CE class back in 2013 when I was an au pair in Mystic, CT. My visa required me to attend a formal educational setting and my host family recommended [...]
Student Spotlight: Heather Caunt-Nulton
“I love learning and am always looking for ways to improve my art. I was interested in photography and my husband was the one who encouraged me to take all of these wonderful courses. [...]
Student Spotlight: Desmond Andrews
"I've known about RISD since I was very young from growing up in Providence. I chose the RISD Pre-College program because I've always wanted to be a part of the community. I would say [...]
Student Spotlight: Brian O’Malley
“My journey to RISD CE began when I opened a beautiful color brochure in 2009 and began to consider which class to take first. I joined the Animation certificate program to expand my skillset [...]
Student Spotlight: Emily Bourassa
“My journey with RISD Continuing Education began when I realized that if I could go back to being 18, I would have gone to art school. The most surprising thing about taking these courses [...]
Student Spotlight: Vivian Perez-Salamero
“I graduated from a business university and I wanted to get more exposure to the art world. I learned about RISD Continuing Education at the beginning of 2020 when I lived in Providence, RI. [...]
Student Spotlight: Nico Ecenarro
“RISD is a part of the creative pantheon. Rhode Island School of Design raises the eyebrows of people inside and outside the artist community. You don't build a name and reputation like that without [...]
Student Spotlight: Heather Zhao
“What I love about the way photography is taught at RISD CE is how the emphasis is on the message that your creativity conveys. I think I had a little bit of creativity before, [...]
Student Spotlight: Marsha Borden
“Due to COVID-19 and the resulting restrictions, I have been more open to considering different kinds of learning, i.e. in computer-based, virtual modalities. I am a hands-on, tactile person; I will always go for [...]
Student Spotlight: Susan Novich
“My family relocated from Pittsburgh, PA to Barrington, RI and, at that time, RISD Continuing Education was offering their programs at Tillinghast Farm, including a course for adult learners called Children's Book Illustration. I've [...]
Student Spotlight: Katie Taylor
“A coworker of mine sent me the course catalog, suggesting I take a class to complement my role in the office. A year later, I'm on my way to completing a RISD CE Interactive [...]
Student Spotlight: Erin Asbury
“My journey to RISD CE started when I was furloughed from my job over the summer and took my son to our pediatrician; she mentioned RISD was now virtual! Interior design was always a [...]
Student Spotlight: Tina Egnoski
"I chose to take a class at RISD CE because I’m a writer and while I love language, I was at a point in my life when I was looking for a new creative [...]
Student Spotlight: Jordan Arruda
“I wanted to expand on my knowledge of graphic design and knew it would be a one-of-a-kind experience. My desire to grow as a designer grew even stronger with RISD CE. I was surprised [...]
Student Spotlight: Hattie McLean
"One of the bests parts about making is being surprised by yourself and your ability, it feels good to look at something you’ve made and marvel at it. That's something that was totally new [...]
Student Spotlight: Jood Al-Saleh
“I first heard about RISD from an alum, a very well-known architect, Bernard Khoury, whose work has inspired me over the years. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity of spending a summer learning at [...]
Student Spotlight: Haley Hartin
“I chose to take classes at RISD CE because, during coronavirus, it felt like my life was put on hold. College was not resuming the way I would have liked and no college-level programs [...]
Student Spotlight: Ava Varszegi
“My journey to RISD CE started when I was a kid taking RISD Young Artist classes. The variety of course content kept me entertained and it was refreshing to be in classrooms with students [...]
Student Spotlight: Landon
“I love having the opportunity to use my time at home to create storylines and complete stop-motion animations that I may not have had the time to do otherwise. In the Animating Critters class, [...]
Student Spotlight: Nicole Bedard
“My journey to RISD began when I had relocated back to Massachusetts in 2002 after many years of school focused on non-creative study. I was working at a software company and wanted to explore [...]
Student Spotlight: Alyson Beaulieu
“My creative process was inspired by the video game, The Sims. I wouldn’t even play the game, I just enjoyed making houses and rooms with different themes and colors and prints and floors. It [...]
Student Spotlight: Jeire Cortez
"RISD has been the school I've always wanted to attend ever since I was nine years old. When I first came here, I was instantly amazed by how diverse the community was. As a [...]
Student Spotlight: Anmol Anubhai
“I have been looking for communities online that share similar interests in socially engaged art and my journey to RISD started when I read about Continuing Education’s Art & Activism course instructed by Carolyn [...]
Student Spotlight: Simran A. Dargan
“I planned to complete my undergrad in Italy over the summer, but like most, my plans for 2020 were undone. I stumbled upon two RISD CE Online courses in 3D modeling and Augmented Reality [...]
Student Spotlight: Sam Marshall
“I chose to take a class at RISD CE to develop my creative process, create legitimate works, and challenge myself. I started with an Introduction to Illustration course and have taken a variety of [...]
Student Spotlight: Meghan Admirand
“My journey to RISD began when I was at a pretty low point in my life. I'd just come out of a terrible, year-plus long postpartum depression and I had made a lot of [...]
Student Spotlight: T. Wahyu Zentika
“This situation with COVID-19 really changed my life, I can't do anything that I love. My boyfriend asked me, ‘What you want to do’ and I answered, ‘I want to learn more about design.’ [...]
Student Spotlight: Alex Houston
“I recently moved to Providence and was thrilled to learn about the RISD Continuing Education program. To get the opportunity to take classes at one of the best art schools in the country with incredible [...]
Student Spotlight: Jessica Metzler
“My journey to RISD began when I decided to move out of my comfort zone. I believe in finding ways to bring art and creativity into my everyday life. I thought I'd just take [...]
Student Spotlight: Areej AlQaysi
“Being in an online classroom environment allows me to be more engaged with the activities of my fellow artists and even gallery shows that are taking place virtually, much more so than I used [...]
Student Spotlight: Elena Peters
“My journey to RISD began when I walked in the apparel design classroom as a visitor. I then took the Upcycled Couture: Refashioning Garments course offered through RISD Summer Programs and went into it [...]
Student Spotlight: Milo McNeel
"RISD is a school I've been interested in for a long time. After first hearing about it from my art teacher in Texas and then learning about the Pre-College program, I thought it would [...]
Student Spotlight: Elizabeth Palko
“My husband died of ALS and it was time for me to think about my new life ahead of me. I needed time to heal; what better way to work through grief and loss [...]
Student Spotlight: Hélène Boutserin
“Coming from France to Providence with my family for a couple of years, I had the opportunity to make a break in my professional life and explore new fields. RISD CE looked like the [...]
Student Spotlight: Gordon Riley
“I originally chose to start taking courses at RISD CE because I wanted to learn more about visual effects and motion graphics. Although I moved forward on a certificate program immediately, I had wrestled [...]
Student Spotlight: Julia Bevins Ross
“A friend of mine once told me that the best way to get the ball rolling on anything these days is to send an email. Compose an email and be honest about what you [...]
Student Spotlight: Tom Peirce
“While working towards completing the Jewelry + Light Metals certificate program, the project that challenged me the most was the final project in Jewelry II [Jewelry + Light Metals II: Process and Practices]. Our [...]
Student Spotlight: Sarah Vaudrain
“RISD has an excellent reputation and is recognized as one of the best art and design schools in the country. As a nontraditional student who already has a bachelor's degree in economics from Providence [...]
Student Spotlight: Pierre-Laurent Baudey
"My journey to RISD CE began when I first visited campus in 2016. I returned because I wanted to push my understanding of web design as far as possible in order to develop my [...]
Student Spotlight: Chris Donovan
“Work became so tedious that it felt like my soul was starving. I wanted to change my career, but I had no experience in design so I wanted to attend classes. That’s how I [...]
Student Spotlight: Andrew Olivo
"My journey to RISD began decades ago when my father took Summer Foundations courses at RISD as a graduate student. Whenever we would come to Providence, he would always remember his summer at RISD, [...]
Student Spotlight: Julia Sica
“My journey to RISD began on my first day of the RISD Pre-College program as a fashion design major. I chose RISD because I’ve always heard great things about their inclusivity and ability to [...]