My name is Destiny Aguilar-Jimenez, and during my first semester at KCAI my main focus was building foundational skills and experimenting with different art mediums to help expand my skill set. One of the pieces I created during that time was a 36 x 36 inch fiber banner titled Comen Se Los Ricos. For this project, I was asked to create a banner that communicated a message I feel strongly about.
When thinking about what I wanted my message to be I knew I wanted to speak about an issue relevant to today’s world. I started thinking about the root causes of current problems, which led me to the phrase “Eat the rich.” Now, since I knew this has become a pretty common saying in recent times I was worried that other classmates might also use the same message. To make my piece stand out, I decided to incorporate my cultural background by translating the phrase into Spanish, which is where the title Comen Se Los Ricos comes from.
As a Mexican American artist, I wanted to take the chance to make the visual design reflect the culture I grew up with. To tie in the theme of eating, I was reminded of my mom’s collection of traditional napkins that are often found during special occasions to keep food warm. These napkins are usually handmade and feature delicate details such as lace, ribbon, embroidery, floral patterns, crochet, and sometimes embroidered phrases expressing love or celebration. This became the main source of inspiration for my banner.
I loved the idea of using soft materials and bright, cheerful colors to create contrast with the message itself. I wanted the banner to almost mislead non-Spanish-speaking viewers into believing the message was of something positive but only until they take the time to translate the message, will they understand the true intention of the piece. While the phrase “Eat the rich” can come across as aggressive, I didn’t want the piece to feel violent or angry, as that doesn’t fit my personal style. Instead, I wanted the message to feel ironic and thoughtfully presented.
This is probably the piece I am most proud of from my time at KCAI since I was mainly interested in pursuing a career in graphic design or animation, this project introduced me to fiber techniques that I genuinely enjoyed and likely wouldn’t have explored otherwise. It also allowed me to incorporate my cultural background in a way I hadn’t done in past work. Moving forward, I hope to continue drawing from my culture to help develop a stronger artistic identity and to celebrate the community I am proud to be part of.
For our final project, my class was asked to create light installations that would transform Foundation North into an exhibition space for the end-of-semester show. This project pushed us to work with new materials, such as reed, and it was also a collaborative assignment, which was something I had not experienced before.
I worked with my talented classmate and friend, Johana Torres. Our concept was a “snail garden” installation. Johana focused on building the snail structures, while I worked on the floral elements. Going into the project, I was happy to have her as my partner. We are both perfectionists when it comes to our work, so I felt confident that we could bring our idea to life.
Even though we were ready to put in a lot of time and effort, we underestimated how challenging it would be to create detailed shapes using reed. This ended up being the most time-consuming project we have worked on. However, because we were working together, we were always able to help each other, whether that meant speeding things up or giving feedback to improve the design. Having a partner made the process much easier and more enjoyable.
Setting up the installation required extra planning since we were working in a shared space with specific areas assigned to us. We also had to think carefully about how the lamps would function and how to position them so the lighting would highlight our work in the best way. Seeing everything set up and illuminated was one of the most rewarding moments of the project and made all the long hours feel worth it.
This project was also one of the most challenging for me. The reed and paper was difficult to control and did not always give me the clean look I wanted. The lighting itself was another challenge, since the lamps needed to stay bright throughout the 3 day show. Due to the time constraints, some of the lights dulled more quickly than we hoped. These challenges taught me the importance of planning ahead and testing materials more thoroughly.
Overall, this project helped me learn how to collaborate more effectively with other artists. Through constant communication, Johana and I were able to support and inspire each other as needed. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to work with Johana, get to know her better as both an artist and a person, and for everything this project taught me.
About Great Jobs KC
Great Jobs KC is a Kansas City-based nonprofit that provides access to college scholarships and tuition-free job training, along with job placement assistance for young people from low- and modest-income families in the metropolitan area, providing a pipeline of talent for a strong regional workforce. Please join us on our mission for economic independence for all. For more information, visit www.greatjobskc.org.
Our 11th-Grade College Scholarship Closes Feb. 27th at 5 PM!...Read More
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Stephanie underwood - Chief financial Officer
Stephanie Underwood serves as Chief Financial Officer at Great Jobs KC, where she leads the organization’s financial strategy in support of its mission to create economic mobility through education and workforce opportunities. With more than 17 years of experience in nonprofit finance, Stephanie brings deep expertise in financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and compliance. She is passionate about using her career as a platform to serve and support mission-driven organizations, helping them maximize impact through strong financial stewardship.
Prior to joining Great Jobs KC, Stephanie served as Chief Financial Officer for Griffith Centers, a behavioral and mental health organization, where she oversaw financial operations for a multi-million-dollar organization spanning residential, educational, and community-based programs. She also spent nearly a decade as Vice President of Accounting Services at NFP Partners, providing CFO-level leadership to nonprofit organizations across the country, with a focus on strategic growth, audit readiness, and governance.
Outside of her professional role, Stephanie volunteers her time at her church and serves on the board of a local nonprofit. She is known for her collaborative leadership style and her commitment to aligning financial strategy with mission impact. She holds a Master of Science in Accounting and is proud to be a first-generation college graduate.
As the Chief Operating Officer, Jimmy Swift is responsible for overseeing our core programs, our adult workforce development program, Great Jobs KC tuition-free job training, and our KC Scholars Scholarship Program, which includes 11th Grade Traditional Scholarships and Adult Learner Scholarships.
Jimmy has a career in education that spans more than 25 years and is built around supporting and improving the performance of career training programs and leading the operations of degree-granting institutions. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in management and has served as Campus President, Vice President of Career Services, and Executive Director of various career schools.
Most recently, Jimmy served as the Vice President of PLA University at Phalen Leadership Academies, bringing access to job skill training to the parents and families of the Scholars served by Phalen Leadership schools across the country. Beyond his higher education experience, Jimmy serves as the Executive Board Chairman for Project Safety Net NY, a nonprofit community-based agency delivering a broad range of health, education, and prevention services to the New York Community. As the Chief Operating Officer for Great Jobs KC, he and his team are poised to make a substantial impact on the economic stability and future of Kansas City.
My name is Destiny Aguilar-Jimenez, and during my first semester at KCAI my main focus was building foundational skills and experimenting with different art mediums to help expand my skill set. One of the pieces I created during that time was a 36 x 36 inch fiber banner titled Comen Se Los Ricos. For this project, I was asked to create a banner that communicated a message I feel strongly about.
