From veterinary assistant to graphic designer
For Valeria Nuñez, carving a path of her own far outweighed the one predetermined by her family. She tried it, and she knocked it.
Her very young career in veterinary medicine ended as a veterinary assistant. She had gone and completed school to do so, much to the delight of her father. She grew up on a farm.
She recalls a family bringing in an animal to be euthanized, as they weren’t allowed to have it on their new property. Nothing was wrong with the animal, but those were the orders. That moment put Nuñez’s veterinary career to rest, too.
Her other passion was art, but she needed to find a way to do it in a way where she could make a steady living. Her brother, a computer scientist and engineer, showed her the ropes of graphic design, and she was hooked.
Now, after some time honing her craft, there’s a few ways she could take it, like animation or video game design. But for now, she’s focusing on setting a foundation for her style.
“(My style) is a little different, I think,” Nuñez said. “I get a lot of influence from Mexican art, especially because that’s what I grew up with. It depends on my mood as well because I really like black work, so playing with graphite or ink.”
Why the Story Sprint?
Like some of the other participants of the Sentinel Story Sprint, Nuñez has had basically no experience in a newsroom or around journalists. She wasn’t entirely sure what she’d be doing, but her talents were put to use by creating the logo for the Sprint, advertisements and specific art tailored to stories from the Sprint.
A student at the Community College of Aurora, a marketing professor mentioned the Sprint to Nuñez because of some art she’d made in his class, and she gave it a shot.
During the course of the two weeks, she gained an appreciation for journalists based on the things she saw — the day in the life she never expected to see reporters endure.
“I have a lot of respect for what (journalists) do because I know it’s not for me,” Nuñez said. “Every time I hear what they’re doing every day, I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, more questions?’ It’s just crazy the amount of effort gets put into one story.”
What’s next?
While she has an immense talent and knack for design, graphic design may not be in Nuñez’s future. Instead, she may turn to tattoo art.
Which is just fine by her dad, who actually wants Nuñez to tattoo a realistic gorilla on him. Realism isn’t much Nuñez’s style — she said she’s a “nervous wreck” with the form — but she appreciates the support and excitement from her family.
To practice, her cousin lets Nuñez use him as a canvas to grow and improve.