Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Contreras.
Hi Kevin, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Kevin, and I was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, and then promptly moved to Amarillo. In 2000, my family moved down to Dallas, where we lived in Pleasant Grove for a couple of years. After a short stint in Pleasant Grove, my mother bought a house in Seagoville where she is today, I ended up graduating from Seagoville High School in 2012 and left for the University of North Texas. I am the third of four boys; my two older brothers both attended college but did not complete a degree, which put pressure on me to be successful. The issue with that is that I wanted to pursue art, which can sometimes be seen as blasphemy to your immigrant parents. Lucky for me my mom just made me promise that whatever I do I just need to finish. That promise was my driving force, probably one of the main reasons I am here today. I first arrived at UNT attempting the very popular and competitive Communication Design Degree and very quickly learned it was not for me. I searched for something different and ended up in the world of studio art, more specifically, the printmaking track. While all of this was happening, I was getting into the realm of student affairs through housing and residence life. I was a member of the residence hall association and discovered a passion I did not know I had. In my Junior year, I became a resident assistant for one of our upperclassman halls and came to the realization that this is what I am meant to do. I am a person who loves bringing people together and building them up. I ended up graduating in 2016 and took a job with housing working the front desk at one of the residence halls, after a year I was able to become an academic advisor back in my home college of CVAD. During my time as an advisor, I would work with our art students and try to have them find their own path to success, which really had me excited each time I would see them walk across the stage knowing they completed an important step towards their goals. During my time as an advisor, I worked on my Masters of Education in Higher Education with a focus in Student Affairs. This is where things began to come together; I am now the Coordinator of Recruitment and Community Development for CVAD. I am now on the front lines, letting any student of any walk of life know that art has a space for them and that that if I am able to find success as a first-generation student and an immigrant then you can too.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There was not a lot of turmoil throughout my journey, but it did require a lot of hard work and patience.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As the coordinator of recruitment and community development for CVAD here at UNT, my primary role is to meet with prospective art students and answer all the questions they may have prior to attending the university. The community development portion is a new addition to my role that has me create events for our students in order to make them feel more comfortable and welcome in our spaces. My peers tend to comment on my passion for enriching the student experience and how I put their needs first.
How do you define success?
Being happy with what you do and knowing your work positively impacts those around you.
Image Credits
College Of Visual Arts and Design
