The Visual Arts Center at Shoreline Community College

Solvita feels that the SCC program has equipped her well to create strong conceptual foundations for her work. She hopes for opportunities to apply her own illustrations to projects, since she has never outgrown her interest in painting and drawing. Solvita has learned to apply her talents to the challenge of helping communicate others’ concepts, and her own, effectively.

Solvita Upenieks is a Spring 2005 graduate of the Shoreline Community College Visual Communications Technology program. She knew growing up in Latvia that her path in life involved art. She loved painting and drawing and was taking preparatory courses at the Academy of Art before entering university when she took a vacation in the United States. She met and fell in love with a U.S. citizen of Latvian descent and decided to immigrate in order to marry her true love. Her academic path took a detour as she married and became a mother.

When her two children were aged one and three, Solvita entered the SCC program part time, taking night classes when her husband could watch the children. She chose Shoreline Community College for its beautiful campus and because it was close to home. She found a sense of community there; she not only got to know the instructors, but felt also that they all got to know her. Solvita has worked toward a degree for six years and treasures the flexibility the program offers, but sometimes struggles with the rapidly changing technology.