Creative Exploration

22-year-old Jul Kundrat completes degrees at Tri-C, plans to study art at Kent State

Jul Kundrat began taking classes at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®) in 2017. Having grown up in Parma, they were already familiar with the College’s Western Campus.

“Tri-C was affordable and right in my area,” they said. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so I figured I could experiment there.”

While Kundrat was trying out different classes, they stumbled upon a career exploration course that seemed interesting. It helped them narrow down what they wanted to do — and that’s when they realized that art was something they wanted to explore.

“I took one ceramics class with professor Stephanie Craig,” they said. “After that, I sat down and said, ‘I could really see myself doing this as a career.’”

This month, Kundrat will graduate with two degrees: an Associate of Arts and Associate of Applied Business. They plan to transfer to Kent State University in the spring to continue exploring careers in art.  

“I already have some friends there and pretty much know the lay of the land,” Kundrat said. “I’m going to major in visual communication and illustration, but I definitely want to do something with ceramics if I can.”

Kundrat mentioned that their experience at Tri-C has been fantastic and gives kudos to the Transfer Center for the help they provided. Another thing that stood out for them at the College was Professor Craig herself.

“She created an encouraging and fun environment to explore ideas,” they said. “She was always really supportive of our out-of-the-box thinking.”

Kundrat’s advice to others following a similar career path is to experiment. Many people get stuck in one medium, but if you branch out, you might find something you really enjoy.

“I had a lot of fun exploring new skills and techniques in my ceramics class,” they said. “It’s like playing with Play-Doh when you’re younger. It doesn’t really matter if you’re good at it. It’s for everyone.”

Kundrat hopes that their studies at Kent State will help narrow down a more specific career for them. While they are interested in education, they want to have a career that allows them to create art on the side.

“I really just want to find a job that I like doing,” they said. “I’m thankful that Tri-C helped me figure out what I want to work toward and instilled a passion for art. I’m really looking forward to the future.”

Cuyahoga Community College will celebrate the academic achievements of its newest graduates during commencement on Dec. 16 at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland. Check our News and Events page leading up to the event for more highlights of the Class of 2021.

December 10, 2021

By Madeline Shepherd, 216-987-4616 madeline.shepherd@tri-c.edu