During my Sophomore year at MICA, I came across an opportunity to work with NPR as
the in house illustrator. Back then, they selected 1 illustrator out of a pool of 280 applicants. I
was rejected. Towards the end of the semester, I received an email about the possibility of working with NPR's Next Generation Radio on a project in
Baltimore. I immediately said yes but was rejected again. Nevertheless, he suggested that I email him if I would be interested in the project in the future. During the Spring semester this
year, I emailed him again which he immediately responded. He offered me the opportunity to
work as the project illustrator for the next four consecutive projects. What I learned from this
experience was to highlight emails from job opportunities we were interested in, and always
email back with an updated portfolio.
The organization I worked in was an NPR sponsored journalism project called Next Generation Radio. We traveled across the United States to train and prepare journalism students for the industry through week-long projects. The common theme of the projects is “First Days in America.” My role was to create illustrated portraits for the student reporters a week before the project. During the weeks in Syracuse, Reno, Philadelphia, and Austin, I shadowed all the interviews on the first two days and create 3-6 illustrations each week for the published stories.
Working as the project illustrator for Next Generation Radio was a valuable experience. This was my first time turning in multiple projects in an extremely tight time frame. I gained the ability to work much more efficiently by creating original color palettes, concept designs, and compositions. I also developed two distinctly different styles for my work in editorial illustration, based on different deadlines and the various tone of the stories.
The organization I worked in was an NPR sponsored journalism project called Next Generation Radio. We traveled across the United States to train and prepare journalism students for the industry through week-long projects. The common theme of the projects is “First Days in America.” My role was to create illustrated portraits for the student reporters a week before the project. During the weeks in Syracuse, Reno, Philadelphia, and Austin, I shadowed all the interviews on the first two days and create 3-6 illustrations each week for the published stories.
Working as the project illustrator for Next Generation Radio was a valuable experience. This was my first time turning in multiple projects in an extremely tight time frame. I gained the ability to work much more efficiently by creating original color palettes, concept designs, and compositions. I also developed two distinctly different styles for my work in editorial illustration, based on different deadlines and the various tone of the stories.
Before the projects, I would have never imagined myself illustrating an Iranian scientist
who is interested in molecules, nor an Egyptian butcher who is making a positive impact in the
community by operating a store for halal meat. Next Generation Radio offers an incredible
platform to network with people who work in various industries. By shadowing the reporters’
interviews, I felt an immense connection with the stories that I was illustrating. There are no
“subjects” in an interview, but people from different areas that share similar stories with us as
immigrants.As a visual solver and a storyteller, in every story, I always ask myself, “what is at stake.” The focus statements are extremely important in finding unique conceptual solutions. I am proud of my contribution to the team; I believe that my illustrations have elevated their stories, which also help them in gaining attention to the published articles. Moving forward, I want to continue my work as an editorial illustrator. The illustration is not just a decorative element in our lives, it serves a purpose in underlining the everyday stories that reflect contemporary social phenomenon. I want to help people tell their stories.
