CARLOS
SANCHEZ
Master of Arts in Design
Statement
For the past decade, I've focused my work in the Latinx community. My mission is to develop high-performing Latinx leaders and entrepreneurs for the benefit of our West Michigan community.
The LEADeres program was developed using elements of the design thinking process. We listened to the community, to their needs and aspirations. With that information, we designed a pilot program that could support their professional goals. Throughout the years, we continued listening and adapting to stay ahead of the ever-changing workplace environment.
I would not have been able to design the LEADeres program, and other programs for the Latinx community, without the education I received at Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University. A word of gratitude to the foundations that have supported the program, to our corporate partners that have been there from day one, and of course, to the professors who shared their wisdom and good advice throughout the course of my graduate education.
In developing Latinx leaders and entrepreneurs we are not only helping that community but the entire West Michigan community.
What my time at KCAD meant to me
One of the great experiences of my time at KCAD has been the study abroad program; this has allowed me to immerse myself in new layers of connection between ourselves and other cultures. I found myself romanticizing my travel through social media and online posts. My experience quickly turned to a greater awareness of blight, homogenization, and social injustices. My time in the MA in Design program has allowed me to focus and examine the impact of tourism and how to create thoughtful design solutions, as well as continue my research to earn a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies.