“I was doing freelance illustration, but I couldn’t do industry-standard work.”
Today, Yadriel isn’t just creating art; they are getting paid for it. But the journey from a childhood hobby to a professional career required a major pivot, a lot of grit, and the right community support. You won’t believe how far they’ve come.
A Dream Without the Tools
Yadriel has always loved art. They started young, selling handmade greeting cards and working on family projects. However, when it came time for college, they chose mechanical engineering. It felt like the safe path within a STEM field.
Then, COVID-19 hit. The world paused, and Yadriel realized their heart wasn’t in engineering. They wanted to pursue art and graphic design full-time.
Although the passion for graphic design was there, Yadriel faced major barriers. They didn’t have access to a laptop. They didn’t have access to Adobe Suite or vectoring software. Without these industry-standard tools, breaking into the professional creative world felt impossible.
Finding the Right Doorway
Everything changed at a community tabling event. Yadriel met a Digital NEST staff member and learned about potential hiring opportunities. They originally applied for our member advocate position, but our team informed them that their resume had been forwarded to a better-suited opportunity: a position in BizzNEST. They applied and landed the internship.
At BizzNEST, Yadriel finally got the tools they needed. They gained access to high-tech workstations and professional software. Last October, Yadriel put those new skills to the test for Gilroy’s La Ofrenda Festival. They designed professional illustrations of La Catrina holding cempasúchiles, the traditional flower offering of Día de Muertos. After consulting with the event organizers, their designs became the official stickers and posters for the event.
“The baseline was access to tools, and having leaders show interest in what I created,” Yadriel says. “The organizers and I sat down for meetings about art ownership and intellectual property. NEST staff went above and beyond to help me understand the business side for future opportunities.”
Check out Yadriel’s designs from La Ofrenda Festival.
Making Art Tangible
Yadriel found more than just software at Digital NEST. They found a network!
Through Digital NEST, Yadriel was connected with an industry professional: the Art Director at KQED, for informational interviews. Hearing about their experience and seeing a professional portfolio made a creative career feel real and achievable.
Today, Yadriel is a Marketing Associate with BizzNEST. They sharpen their digital media, client communication, and production skills daily. In the future, they want to teach art. They continue to use illustration to help organizations connect with Hispanic and Indigenous communities.
Why the NEST Model Works
Research shows that youth thrive when given project-based, culturally affirming, and experiential opportunities. Our program is rooted in a positive youth development framework. We build youth agency by fostering three things:
- A sense of belonging (feeling at home in a tech space)
- Skill acquisition (learning Adobe Suite and client communication)
- Social capital (connecting youth to professional networks)
Yadriel proves that with the right tools, self-expression isn’t just a hobby; it is a viable career path.
