Alumni News

RIT Photographic Sciences alumni Teri Zgoda ’17 and Teresa Kugler ’19 captured a stunning photomicrograph of a fluorescent turtle embryo that took first place in Nikon’s 2019 Small World competition. 

A graduate culture is taking root at RIT with more Ph.D. students on the main campus than ever before, and the Office of Graduate Education is building on the momentum.

Aya Oki '14 MFA (Glass) is a globetrotting glass artist who has exhibited and taught all over.

Tim Webber ’97 (civil engineering technology) helped design one of the largest YMCA facilities in the country: the Schottland Family YMCA, in Pittsford, N.Y. Webber is vice president and director of civil engineering at LaBella Associates, an international architecture, engineering, environmental, and planning firm in Rochester.

After years of working in commercial photography, Rob Goldman ’84 (professional photography) decided he needed to change his routine and focus on something new. Goldman quit commercial photography and embarked on several independent projects that focused on the reality, struggles, and beauty of life.

Patricia Moore ’74 (industrial design), an internationally renowned designer, gerontologist, and leading authority on consumer lifespan behaviors, received the prestigious Cooper Hewitt National Design Award in New York City in October.

Elliot Benitez ’07 (marketing) was eating dinner with his mother when he noticed that she kept getting up to warm tortillas over the stove. Benitez thought there had to be a better way. He searched Google and Amazon for a tortilla toaster and found nothing. Today, that same search points people toward the Nuni Toaster, patented by Benitez.

Fashionable boutique clothing usually comes with large price tags. However, at Shop Peppermint and Salty, two boutiques in Rochester owned by Tanvi Asher ’10 MFA (industrial design), customers can get a high-end experience at an accessible cost.

Mike Battle ’02 (film and animation) has been watching The Simpsons for almost 30 years. For about half of that time, he has had a behind-the-scenes view of new episodes.

When Joey Zeledón ’06 (industrial design) contributes to a new product design, he aims to design for a consumer’s feelings rather than solely focusing on aesthetics and functionality.

The Gap Year Entrepreneurial Fellowship allows SOIS students to take time off of school to focus on personal business ventures while still working toward their degrees. Students in the fellowship also receive a $15,000 award to create the time and space needed to build their businesses.

Meet Gap Year Fellow Jeremiah Gryczka, owner of Mountain House Media, a digital media production and advertising agency that acts as a creative partner for its clients by helping to improve visibility of their businesses and by stimulating creative growth.