Education
MFA, Drawing and Illustration, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA
BFA, Game, Animation, and Simulation Design, Southern Arkansas University,
Magnolia, AR (Summa Cum Laude and Honors)
Teaching Experience
2021- Instructor of Record, Art of Education University
Studio Drawing, Reaching All Artists Through Differentiation,Rediscovering Your Artistic Identity,
Studio Photography, Technology in the 21st Century Art Room
2020-21 Co-Instructor, Advanced Digital Painting, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston LA
2020 AR and VR Instructor for Louisiana Tech University's VISTA GearUp camp, Virtual Camp
2020 Instructor of Record, Drawing I, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA
2018-21 Graduate Assistant, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA
Drawing I, Color Theory, Illustration, Digital Painting, Oil Painting, Advanced Drawing, Advanced Painting
2017 Art Instructor for Southern Arkansas University’s Game Development Camp,
Magnolia, AR
2016 Assistant Art Instructor, Children’s Summer Art SAS Art Gallery, Springhill, LA
2016 Assistant Paint Party Instructor, SAS Art Gallery, Springhill, LA
Professional Experience
2022 Lifeology Artist
2020 VISTA Artist for Louisiana Tech University's 2020 COVID-19 Incubation Awareness Campaign
2020 VISTA Artist for Louisiana Tech University's 2020 Flu Vaccine Campaign
2019- Photo Editor, PhotoEscapes Rodney L. Driggers, Ruston, LA
2019-21 VISTA Graduate Assistantship, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA
2019-21 Richardson Studio Supervisor, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA
2019 Graduate Gallery Manager, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA
2019 Student Orientation Counselor, Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia, AR
2018-21 Gallery Preparation Graduate Committee- Louisiana Tech University
2018-19 SOD Graduate Assistantship, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston LA
2018 Contractor, WhyteSpyder, Fayetteville, AR
2017 Disney College Photopass Photographer Internship, Walt Disney World Lake Buena
Vista, Florida
2016 Freelance Website Designer
2016 Stacy’s Art Studio Art Gallery Internship, Springhill, LA
2014- Freelance Illustrator
2014- Freelance Photographer
2013-18 Business Office Secretary, Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia, AR
Publications
2021 Center of My System, Quatrain magazine cover photo, Mixed Media Painting
2020 #MeToo, The New Southern Fugitive, Mixed Media Painting
2020 Why Must I Remain in Shadows?, Quatrain, Photograph
2020 Vida, Quatrain, Photo-Plate Print
2018 Meeting in the Night, LoveBug Zine, Illustration
2018 Cecity, WebComic Almanac Zine, Illustration
2017 The Battle, Emergence, Short Nonfiction
2015 Pencil Feathers, Emergence, Poem
2015 Broken Piece of Universe, Emergence, Short Fiction
2012. The Quiz, TeenInk, Short Nonfiction
Exhibitions
2021 Subterrene: Operating Beneath the Surface, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA
2020 62nd Delta, Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, AR
2020 SOD Student Show 2020, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA
2020 #LatechMFA2020, Monroe Art Crawl, The Downtown Gallery, Monroe, LA
2020 Femme Fest 2020, Jazz and Heritage Foundation Gallery, New Orleans, LA
2019 Inspi[Her], The Amiee Thompson Gallery and Wellness Center, Benton, AR
2019 Mannequins and Puppets, LoosenArt Gallery, Rome, Italy
2019 31stAnnual Texarkana Regional Arts Exhibition, Texarkana Regional Art and Humanities
Council, Inc., Texarkana, TX
2019 SOD Student Show,Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA
2019 BLOOM!, R.W. Norton Art Gallery, Shreveport, LA
2019 #LatechMFA, Monroe Art Crawl, The Downtown Gallery, Monroe, LA
2019 Year of the River, Monroe Parish Court House, Monroe LA
2018 The Crisis, The Enterprise Center, Ruston, LA
2017 Senior Capstone Show, Brinson Art Gallery, Magnolia, AR
2016 Illustrated Poster Series, Brinson Art Gallery, Magnolia, AR
2016 Alpha Build, Brinson Art Gallery, Magnolia, AR
2015 Rocking Creatures, Brinson Art Gallery, Magnolia, AR
Online Exhibitions
2021 3rd All Women Art Exhibition, J. Mane Gallery
2021 Stop Pretending Stop Protecting, photograph, Creative Quarterly 61
2020 Glitch animation, Creative Quarterly 60
2020 At Least the Dog is Happy, #EveryOneOfUs, Philadelphia Photo Arts Center
2019 Fins, Feathers, and Fur, J. Mane Gallery, https://www.jmanegallery.com/current-
exhibition-n5str
Honors and Awards
2020 Student Fine Arts Runner up, Stop Pretending Stop Protecting, photograph, Creative Quarterly 61
2020 Student Fine Arts Runner Up, Creative Quarterly 60
2020 SOD Best of Painting, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA
2020 Academic Excellence Graduate Award, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA
2020 Best MFA Project, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA
2019 Honorable Mention, Illustrators of the Future Contest 4th Quarter
2019 Louisiana Tech University’s SOD Student Show MFA Best of Show award, Ruston, LA
2017 Graduated Summa Cum Laude, Southern Arkansas University Magnolia, AR
2017 Graduated with Honors, Southern Arkansas University Magnolia, AR
2017 Southern Arkansas University’s Liberal and Preforming Arts Art and Design Department
Student of the Year Award, Magnolia, AR
2017 Acceptance Certificate from CAE for a B52 Bomber Model, Little Rock, AR
2017 Second Place nonfiction, Emerging Writers contest, Southern Arkansas University,
Magnolia, AR
2016 Student Spotlight, Given an individualized commercial shown across four states to
represent Southern Arkansas University’s Game, Animation, and Simulation
Design BFA, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma
2016 Billboard Model, Representing Southern Arkansas University’s Game, Animation,
and Simulation Design BFA, Texarkana, TX
2015 First Place, Southern Arkansas University Undergraduate Research Poster Contest
2013 Presidential Academic Scholarship, Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia, AR
Overseen Organizations and Projects
2021 KO STEAM, Partners Kara O'Neal, Kaitlin Maloy, Morgan McCullin
2019 Serving our Designers Fundraiser, Ruston LA
2017 Organizer, Day of the Undead Zombie Fundraiser Run, Magnolia, AR
2016-17 Producer, Assistant Designer, and Artist for the video game Syrian Survivor, Southern
Arkansas University
2016 Global Game Jam Organizer, Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia, AR
2015 Assistant Director, SAU Game Development Camp, Magnolia, AR
2013-17 Vice President, Southern Arkansas University Game Development Club, Magnolia AR
Projects
2020 Exystence, 2020 Walt Disney Imagineering's Imaginations Design Competition Semi-Finalist, Partner
Dellanee Wade
2019 Paradise Gardens, 2019 Walt Disney Imagineering's Imaginations Design Competition Participant, Partners
George and Stephanie Rusinko
2017 Atlantis, 3D artist, 2D artist, Lead Designer, Global Game Jam
https://globalgamejam.org/2017/games/atlantis
2016 Shadow Greed, gaffer aid, consistency crew,Southern Arkansas University student
film, Director: Jarome Harris
2016 G.A.T.E., artist and co-designer with Lynn Z. Hardy
2016 Timmy Needs a Friend, 2D artist, Global Game Jam
https://globalgamejam.org/2016/games/timmy-needs-friend
2015 Toupee, 3D artist, Rigger, Animator, Video Game Project
Grants and Awards
2021 Applied for the Society of Children's Writers and Illustrators Work-in-Progress 2021 Award
Presentations
2021 MFA Thesis Presentation, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA
2021 Graduate Experience Guest Speaker, Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia, AR
Conferences Presented At
2021 Dr. Lindsey Vincent, Dean Don Schillinger, Dr. Tireka Cobb, SVP Susanne Thompson, Nathan Lippe, Dr. David Lafargue, Professor Nick Bustamante, Dr. Jamie Newman, Kayla O’Neal. GEARing UP for Student,
Parent, and Teacher STEM Success, Hawaii University International Conference
2021 Professor Nick Bustamante, Dr. Jamie Newman, Kayla O’Neal, Ron McKinney. Asking
Someone Out: Building Interdisciplinary Teams and Empowering Students to Impact
their Community, Universities of Louisiana Academic Summit
2016 Kayla O’Neal, Z. Lynn Hardy. Organization of Teams. National Collegiate Honors Council
Seattle, WA, Nov2016 (Poster Presentation)
2015 Kayla O’Neal, Z. Lynn Hardy. G.A.T.E.,National Collegiate Honors Council Poster,
Chicago, IL (Poster Presentation)
2015 Kayla O’Neal, Z. Lynn Hardy. G.A.T.E., Southern Arkansas University Undergraduate
Research Conference, Magnolia, AR
Conferences Attended
2022 The Art of Education University 2022 NOW Conference
2022 Society of Illustrators and Writers 2022 Winter Conference
2022 DV Winter Con
2021 Society of Illustrators and Writers 2021 Summer Conference
2021 Society of Illustrators and Writers 2021 Winter Conference
Service & Volunteer
2022 Guild of Natural Science Illustrators 2022, Website Cordinator
2022 DV Con 2022, Discord Moderator
2021 Apart but Still Together, COVID-19 Relief Charity Zine, Artist Participant, Illustration
2020 Tales From Paradise Estate, St. Jude's Research Charity Zine, Artist Participant, Illustration
2020 Miraculous Ladybug Pandemic Relief Zine, Artist Participant, Illustration
2020 Wind in My Hair, Pandemic Relief Zine, Artist Participant, Illustration
2019 Serving Our Designers Fundraiser
2019 Donated painting “Among the Flowers” to Artists for Education program.
2019 Donated wood sculpture to Off the Wall fundraiser for the Mauser Museum and
worked the event, Monroe, La.
Professional Organizations
2021- Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI
2020- Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)
2018- North Central Louisiana Arts Council
2017- Disney College Alumni
Technical Abilities
Programs:
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Creative Cloud Suite
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Photoshop
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Illustrator
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Premiere
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ProCreate
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Microsoft Suite
Skills:
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Animation
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Drawing
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Illustration
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Writing/Creative Writing
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Photography
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Photo Editing
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Oral speeches and presentations
