Sydney Ligouri Named GDUSA Educator to Watch 2021

Congratulations to Sydney Ligouri for her feature as an Educator to Watch 2021 by Graphic Design USA (GDUSA). She works at Shillington as the Head of Teaching and oversees the New York campus teaching team.

Have the events of 2020 changed the way you think about or teach graphic design?

The events of 2020—particularly the events and conversations surrounding race in America—have most definitely changed my perception of the design industry as a whole. Representation for women and LGBT+ folks is and remains an area we need to grow in. But current events have exemplified that we need to be better utilizing our spaces to provide skills, tools and a voice for BIPOC folks striving to enter the design industry and excel.

At Shillington, I am part of a team spearheading diversity initiatives in our campuses and online spaces, including BIPOC scholarships to make design education more attainable to under-represented communities, full audits of our educational, content to ensure full representation is present in subjects like design history, and inviting inspiring BIPOC designers to come speak to our students about their design journeys.

There is undeniably a huge amount of whiteness in the design industry, and I believe educational institutions are responsible for stepping up and pushing for more and, more diversity in their courses, which will result in more diversity in skilled designers available for hire.

Read the full interview on the GDUSA website!

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