Spotlights
Meet Naomi Silas, first-gen student finishing her Master's in Social Innovation
May 12, 2021
Brooks College's first graduate program, Professional Master of Arts in Social Innovation, launched in January 2019. The program is now about to produce its first graduates. One of those students, Naomi Silas, presented her Master's Project in April and is in the final stages of her work. We spoke with Naomi about her story and experience in the Social Innovation (SI) program as she prepares to graduate.
Tell us about yourself and your background. I'm a first-generation college graduate and grew up in Gary, Indiana. I never imagined I'd have a bachelor's degree let alone a master's. That's just how it is growing up in a city like Gary. My bachelor's degree is in Graphic Design from KCAD. After I graduated I moved to Southern California and lived there for several years working and starting a family.
What drew you to the SI grad program? I moved back to Grand Rapids in 2015 and immersed myself in the community and started doing equity and inclusion work. I began to realize that in some rooms that I could not shake the label of "creative" or "designer." I decided to look for a master's program and in late 2018 I found the SI program at GVSU. It sounded like a perfect fit for me. It would allow me to use skills I already had and would allow me to grow and develop as a professional. I would also be able to do systems work, which is something I was interested in. There was a Bruce Mau exhibit I went to as an undergrad, and the tagline stuck with me: "It's not about the world of design, it's about the design of the world." At the time, this was mostly about sustainability, but that tagline would pop up in my head in community meetings and design thinking workshops over the years.
Has there been a particular SI class or instructor that most impacted you? All of the classes and professors have been impactful. I have mostly been impacted by my peers in the courses I've taken. The class discussions were so rich and everyone brought diverse perspectives and backgrounds to each discussion. Dr. Wendy Burns-Ardalino has been a wonderful mentor and advisor. The course, "Engaging Diversity through Social Innovation," instructed by Dr. Andrea Riley-Mukavetz, was a particularly impactful course. Learning about pedagogy and decolonization through the lens of BIPOC (black, Indigenous, and people of color) was an important class for me when it came to my graduate research project. So much so that I asked Dr. RM to be my advisor on my research project.
Has the program already benefited your life and career in any way? The program has been affirming for the work that I've done as a community organizer. I'm currently working at Urban Core Collective, which started as an internship for the program. I already had a relationship with the organization as a Transformational Leadership Program Alumni. I've been able to use the skills I've learned in my courses and drawing from my own experience and apply it in real-time.
What are your plans after graduation? There's something about Southern California that I love, and I'm excited to be headed back there. I've been interviewing for jobs in Los Angeles.