Student Showcase

重口味SM from 重口味SM's Digital Design and Media Art program are leaders in their areas of expertise, applying their cutting-edge talents in the fields of communications, entertainment, technology, business and more.

2026 Integrative Media, Art and Design Award Winners

The Richard Fuller Excellence in the Arts Award is given to the graduating seniors in the DDMA Major/Art cognate minor or Art Minor that has scored the highest amongst faculty voting within the areas of project quality and creativity, and programmatic (minor) GPA. Richard Fuller was a professor emeritus and former department chair of art. He embodied the dedication and precision of implementing the creative process and known for the term "good is not good enough," there was no settling allowed in Professor Fuller's classroom.

The Outstanding Achievement in Integrative Media, Art + Design award is given to the graduating seniors in the Digital Design + Media Art Major that has scored the highest amongst faculty voting within the areas of project quality and creativity, classroom leadership, programmatic GPA. and departmental service.

Outstanding Achievement Recipient

Gabriele, 鈥淕iGi鈥� Ruggiero looking to pursue her creative passions in motion-based design, working heavily with video and bold designs that make a statement.

Outstanding Achievement Recipient

Alex has a passion for 3D modeling and web design and immerses himself in those things as much as possible.

Outstanding Achievement Recipient

During Lara's time at Wilkes, she completed a design fellowship with the Sordoni Art Gallery, where she developed an interest in how design shapes the way people engage with history.

Fuller Award Recipient

Passionate about book design, Grace aspires to work as an in-house designer for a publisher, specializing in designing book covers and contributing to creative publishing teams.

Fuller Award Recipient

Emily aspires to work in a professional design setting at a museum.

GIGI RUGGIERO'S Portfolio SHOWCASE (.pdf)

Gabriele, 鈥淕igi鈥� Ruggiero is earning a BFA degree in Digital Design and Media Arts with minors in Studio Art, English (with a creative writing slant), and Game and Emergent Technology. Throughout her time at Wilkes, she has been part of the design and leadership team in our campus' design club Studio 20 and now holds the position of president. She has contributed designs to multiple merch drops, created event posters and designs for multiple activities on campus, as well as taking on client-based work within the community. She has made Dean鈥檚 list all eight semesters. In 2025 she was the first student from 重口味SMaccepted into the student volunteer program at the international SIGGRAPH conference in Vancouver, assisting attendees and supporting behind the scenes activities. Gigi has worked 鈥榗rew鈥� for multiple talent interview video shoots for a series of Ruggiero-Steele documentaries. In addition, she was part of the student team that created a dynamic stop motion animation for the end credit sequence for the soon to be released documentary Muhammad Ali: In This Corner - Deer Lake. After graduation she is looking to pursue her creative passions in motion-based design, working heavily with video and bold designs that make a statement.

Alex Martin's Portfolio Showcase (.pdf)

Alex Martin is a senior majoring in Digital Design & Media Arts earning a BA with a minor in Game and Emergent Technology. He is an Eagle Scout, eight time Dean鈥檚 List honoree, and presented research at the SITE Conferences in Orlando on 鈥淢osaic: An Augmented Reality Application to Motivate University Students to Visit Galleries鈥� and in Philadelphia on 鈥淐ircuit Breaker: Neon Entanglement, Building Quantum Intuition Through Embodied Gameplay in Virtual Reality鈥�. Along with graphic design and game design, Alex has a passion for 3D modeling and web design and immerses himself in those things as much as possible. After graduation, Alex plans to pursue a career in 3D modeling within the video game and film industries.

Lara Mullen's Portfolio Showcase (.pdf)

Lara Mullen is a BFA student in the Integrative Media and Design program, where she has worked as a tutor, teaching assistant, and studio assistant. During her time at Wilkes, she completed a design fellowship with the Sordoni Art Gallery, where she developed an interest in how design shapes the way people engage with history. She also served as the lead graphics designer for The Beacon, student newspaper and member of Studio 20. Her independent study, Visualizing Appalachia: Power, Propaganda, and the Ethics of Design, explored how visual communication shapes regional identity and labor activism, with a focus on ethical representation in contemporary design practice. After graduation, Lara will spend a year continuing her work in exhibition and communication design with Historic Bethlehem Museums and Sites before pursuing a Master鈥檚 degree in History of Design and Material Culture at the University of Brighton.

Grace Carrick's Showcase (.pdf)

Grace Carrick graduated in the winter of 2025 with a BFA in Digital Design & Media Arts and a Minor in English. At Wilkes, she has gained valuable experience as a designer at the Sordoni Art Gallery, creating promotional materials for exhibitions, and as a leader in the Studio 20 design club. In addition to her university work, Grace has completed several freelance projects, designing brand identities and logos for clients. Passionate about book design, she aspires to work as an in-house designer for a publisher, specializing in designing book covers and contributing to creative publishing teams.

Emily Romanoskey's Showcase (.pdf)

Emily is earning a BA degree in Digital Design and Media Arts with a minor in Studio Arts. She is a member of the student design team at the Sordoni Art Gallery, where she also served as student curator and research assistant for her internship. During this internship, she researched artist Helen Zughaib and her Migrations Series to lead the branding for the exhibition Migrations which was on display at the gallery from October 2025 through February 2026. In addition to designing the catalog for the exhibition, she contributed an essay, 鈥淰isual Narratives of Migration: A Comparative Study of Helen Zughaib and Jacob Lawrence鈥�. The catalog won several awards at the American Advertising Federation (of NEPA) Awards including the Student Gold Award, Student Judge鈥檚 Choice Award, and Student People's Choice Award. Along with this, she also won an honorable mention for a separate project. Emily is also a member of Studio 20, contributing to their merch sales with Wilkes-inspired designs. After graduation, Emily plans to gain work experience in design and hopes to eventually get a master鈥檚 degree with aspirations to work in a professional design setting at a museu