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Your Creative Journey Starts Here.
Student Voices
Meet Ana-Paola Laveaga (she/her), BS, Spatial Experience Design
Ana-Paola Laveaga spent four years of her college career studying chemical engineering, until she realized something was missing.
"I took ArtCenter classes, and I found that design was a lot like engineering, but far more creative," she said. "Spatial Experience Design has given me more freedom to express myself."
Ana-Paola found her passion for telling a story through a space and letting people experience that story, physically and first hand. A recent project includes building natural elements into a public space below the Brooklyn Bridge.
I fell in love with the idea of telling a story through a space and letting people experience that story physically and first hand.
Ana-Paola Laveaga
"We were given the challenge of designing the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge in a way that reimagines our relationship with nature," she said.
In addition to browsing all types of topics in the College's library, Ana-Paola enjoys spending her time in the laser lab.
"I cut small-scale spaces of my projects and place paper people in them," she says. "That really allows me to have a sense for how the space is going to be used."
Ana-Paola has also gained a lot through interacting with ArtCeneter's faculty and staff. "Everyone is very welcoming, very encouraging — plus, you're learning and talking with professionals who are already doing your dream job."
Many of her instructors are Latinx, like Ana-Paola. "That's helped me form a stronger bond with my family, with my culture and with Los Angeles," she said. "So I have a lot to thank ArtCenter for."
