Larissa Schwartz is a graphic designer, art director, business owner and visual arts educator focusing on developing more technical skills in video, sound and animation. She attended the University of Iowa, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in studio art, art history and entrepreneurship. She also attended a post-graduate advertising school, Chicago Portfolio School, where she studied art direction and graphic design. She has had the privilege to work as a professional art director, graphic designer and visual arts educator. She currently holds professional teaching licenses in Visual Arts (K-12), Career Technical Education in Visual Arts and Design (7-12), and English as a Second Language (PK-12). She has taught visual arts, design and technology for more than eight years in Title 1 public schools throughout Houston and Denver. In Houston, she taught at an early college high school which was spearheaded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She has also taught concurrent enrollment graphic design courses through the Community College of Denver, while writing technology grants to provide a computer lab for her students in Denver Public Schools. She launched a student organization to work with a local nonprofit in Denver, Women's Global Empowerment Fund, which supports women through economic, social and political programs in northern Uganda. She has been a sponsor for Girls Who Code and Skills USA, while holding memberships in Colorado Art Education Association, Texas Art Education Association and Kappa Kappa Gamma. Larissa has served as a juror for the Scholastic Art and Writing awards and the Visual Arts Scholastic Event. She founded her own graphic design company, Larissa Schwartz Design LLC, where she focuses on creating print and digital branding and marketing solutions for various companies. Larissa is looking forward to working with her peers and professors in the CTD Creative Industries track.