We’re excited to welcome Jay and Vera to the SMFA Career Fellows team this semester! Jay and Vera will be hosting drop‑in career labs at SMFA, offering peer support to students at all stages. In addition to their Career Center training, which includes helping with internship searches, resume and cover letter reviews, they bring valuable firsthand experience navigating SMFA and pursuing opportunities beyond the classroom as artists.
While Jay and Vera will each share some of their personal interest areas below, both are trained to support all SMFA students, no matter your discipline, year, or career goals. Read on to learn more about Jay and Vera — or stop by the Artist Resource Center (B205) to say hello!
Career Lab Drop‑In Hours (No Appointment Required): Tuesdays & Thursdays: 12:00–2:30 p.m. and Wednesdays & Fridays: 12:00–3:00 p.m.
Jay Kwan ‘27 (he/him)
Primary Mediums: 2D and 3D Animation, Digital Art
Ask Me About: Portfolios, Demo Reels, Interviews, Critique, etc
Advice: Put your money into an index fund
Interests: Anything Animation related, Film, Industry/Production work, an unhealthy amount of collecting Transformers
Vera Su Zhong Ye ‘27 (she/her)
Primary Mediums: Fibers, papermaking, craft mediums
Ask Me About: birds, silkworms, indigo dye, foraging sticks, broommaking, art in general, the SMFA Dye Garden, building your artist identity!
Advice: Meaningful connections come from a place of authenticity
As an career fellow who is also an international student, I hope to aid fellow international students in understanding how to navigate career choices while abroad. Especially in a field where the next steps feel unclear in the broad category of art, I hope I can help my peers in learning to not only forge their path, but gain the fundamental skills it takes to go further in their journey!
