by Olivia Schrauwen (‘24)

This past Wednesday, January 31st, the International Academy Business Coalition at IA held a ‘Creative Careers Day’, where a selection of students got to meet and talk with a handful of professionals from careers that include architecture, visual arts, literature, and other creative areas of study. This event was proposed by students in Mr. Tecmire’s first-semester product team to give students at the IA a chance to see a different type of path than the one they usually get exposed to at the school. It is no secret that IA students have high ambitions and hold themselves to high standards. Often, alum pursue a higher education in one of the sciences or mathematics, for example, becoming doctors, scientists, or engineers. However, it’s important to remember that IA students can also be innovative in a different way– perhaps in the visual arts or literature. This event was a great opportunity for IA students to see another possibility for their future, one that is not any less important or plausible than going off to med school after the IA.

Several professionals were invited to the event last month, and the product team group (comprised of seniors Olivia Schrauwen, Sophie Fischer, and Tarik Taskin) was grateful for the professionals who responded with much enthusiasm about the event. The original date chosen was Wednesday, January 17th, but had to be rescheduled due to a snow day. The students were resilient and planned the event all over again. The professionals able to attend this new date were General Motors designer Kevin Parkila, high school art teacher and artist Jeanne Dehaan, and hair, makeup, and henna artist Ekta Kansara. Journalist Kim Kozlowski was also interested in attending the event, but due to a communication error was unable to come. Despite some small setbacks, the event was an amazing success. Students were able to get direct advice from the professionals, ask them questions, and enjoy a complimentary breakfast provided by active IA parent, Katja Fischer. For students unable to attend, don’t worry: there may be something similar to this event in the future!

I attended the event on Wednesday and asked some students what they learned from this experience, and asked for wise words of advice from the professionals who were there.

Mr. Parkila talked to students about the creativity that goes into designing cars for both functionality and aesthetics. His job at GM has taught him how to think more creatively, and that patience matters when it comes to designing. He explains that a design is not made overnight. Oftentimes, he has to keep asking himself the question “What can I do to make this car brake faster or more smoothly?”, and other questions that push his creative thinking skills to the maximum. Mr. Parkila would like to tell everyone interested in a creative career to “stay curious”.

One student that I talked to after the event told me that he learned a lot about how to make advanced cars. He said that Mr. Parkila explained the process of how one makes an impossible design come to life. Another told me that, before the event, he didn’t know that VR was used so much in car design.

Henna, hair, and makeup artist, as well as IA parent, Mrs. Kansara had a lot of career advice for students as well. She discussed how important it is to manage your time well in a creative career. She told me how her career has developed over time to depend largely on social media promotion– that’s how she continues to grow in popularity. As a very successful woman, mostly booked for weddings, Mrs. Kansara has created a balance in her life between doing makeup art and being a well-educated graduate in law and other areas of knowledge.

Mrs. Kanara shared that she ultimately chose to pursue her career because she “is good at it and loves it”. According to her, the art she loves to create is more suitable as a side gig for most– a way to meet people you wouldn’t otherwise meet– unless “you’re really good at what you do, [then] you will get more than a ‘normal job’ in the field”. That’s exactly what she has done. Often hired by Bollywood celebrities, Mrs. Kansara has met many interesting people along her journey and makes “good cash” while doing it. She is proof that if you love what you’re good at, you will be successful in life.

Art teacher and studio artist, Ms. Dehaan, also had eye-opening discussions with our IA students. She would like students to know that it is essential that they take business classes like accounting and marketing while in college if they plan to start their own businesses. Having life skills like that will help students maximize their success in the future. She also reminds students that it is important to find their defined area of art that they are interested in and are the best at, as this will help them sell art that will make them the most money. 

Lastly, she emphasizes the importance of deciding if art is something that you really want to make a career out of. Doing art is fun but you need a stable income to be able to continue doing it. This is why she became a high school art teacher– it allows her to have an income that supports her as she continues making art. Her advice is to know what the trends are, but don’t necessarily try to join in: in fact, she suggests that you don’t follow the trends of the modern day and continue to make the art that you know will make you successful. This isn’t to say that trying something new is bad or dangerous, but you need to make sure that you have a type of art that you can continue to perfect. Puja Ravi (‘26) told me that while she walked into the event thinking she wanted to do something with coding, her conversation with Ms. Dehaan inspired her to “go out there and be more creative”. She also learned some techniques and skills that can help her learn how to be more creative in general.

I talked with senior Kenzie after the event and she told me that the event was not exactly what she expected it to be. She learned a lot of beneficial information despite there being no film professionals at the event– something that she is interested in for college. “It wasn’t what I expected, but it was helpful”, she told me. The experience helped her learn about the kind of mindset one needs to have when going into a specific field and how important communication is in the arts since much of it depends on collaboration with other designers/artists/etc. She went into this event thinking that she would hear rather surface-level speeches from the adults, but was pleasantly surprised to find her discussions “deep and beneficial”.

Overall, the IABC hopes that the students who attended learned something about careers in the arts/humanities. I hope that the event inspired students who may feel out of place in a school that is catered towards students in STEM. In the future, I hope that the IA can keep this in mind and make sure these students’ needs are met just as much as their peers’, to help them feel ready for whatever the future may hold. A career in the arts doesn’t have to be scary– these professionals prove this. To quote Mrs. Kansara, “You have to be good at what you love, and the rest will fall into place”. You can be successful in a career that may not be what others expect you to pursue. Do what makes you happy, and what you feel that you are good at.

The IABC hopes to host more events similar to this one, and Mr. Tecmire’s product team is the place to propose any ideas you may have or things that you want to see a change in the way the IA approaches ‘what comes after college’. If you have any questions that you’d like to ask any of the professionals from the event, you can email them at Kevin.K.Parkila@GM.com and KKozlowski@detroitnews.com.

Lastly, the IABC and I would like to thank everyone who helped to make this event possible. Thank you to Olivia, Sophie, and Tarik for communicating with the professionals and planning this event. Thank you to Mr. Tecmire who helped guide them through the process and offered his room for the event to be held in. Thank you to Mr. Parkila, Mrs. Kansara, and Mrs. Dehaan for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to the next generation of employees and artists. Thank you to Mrs. Fischer for helping to get some yummy breakfast for the IA students and staff to enjoy. Thank you to everyone who helped in some way to make the event a success. Thank you to the students who showed interest in or attended the Creative Careers Day; we could not have done this without you! And, of course, thank you to you, the reader, for showing your interest in this exciting event.