Vanessa Miranda graduated from Eastern New Mexico University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Miranda was drawn to ENMU because of the small class sizes and because she wanted one-on-one connections with her professors. She explained that every professor she had while attending Eastern was generous with their time and allowed her to ask questions. She is from Clovis, New Mexico, and is a first-generation college student. After graduating from ENMU, Miranda took a year and a half off school to work as an educational assistant in the Clovis Municipal Schools. She then returned to school to receive her Master of Fine Arts from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Since graduating with her degree, Miranda has returned to Clovis High School, where she teaches Art. She found her passion for art while attending ENMU, although she works full-time as an Art teacher, she is still a working artist and stays connected with her community. Vanessa has always had a passion for school. When she was younger, she thought of school as a safe place. Now that she is a teacher, she enjoys being able to create that safe space for other students and share her passion for art with them. "Art is a place where students can be successful and find success," Miranda said. She wants to give her students opportunities to thrive and succeed, especially in her community. Her involvement with her students and the community is the most rewarding aspect of her career. "Being able to see them express themselves or hear their stories is the most rewarding thing," she said.

Miranda is constantly pursuing lifelong learning and plans to get her MBA as well as a doctorate so that she can continue to serve her community by someday becoming the dean of an art department at a small university. Eastern gave her a place to find what she was passionate about and pushed her to do things she never thought she would.

"Bodies" by Vanessa Miranda