At the forefront of student life, academics often takes precedence and is seen as a direct path to stability, livelihood and future success. But for many students, academics don’t travel alone.
Alongside the pursuit of grades and degrees lives another equally demanding force: creative expression. Whether it’s writing, painting, music, filmmaking or design, these passions demand time, energy and emotional investment often blurring the lines between discipline and desire.
Academics have long been considered the lone ranger in pursuing a commendable and secure livelihood. However, for three students, the itch for creativity cannot be easily dulled by the rigidity of academics.
A chance pairing in a high school engineering class marked the beginning of a creative partnership between Alyssa Contreras and Diego Carrasco. What started as casual conversations over shared nerdy interests, turned into a hands-on collaboration when Contreras’ growing interest in 3D printing aligned perfectly with Carrascos’ ownership of a resin printer at home.
Bonded by their love for geek culture, the two friends turned a shared hobby into a small business. The partnership came together naturally: she brought the artistic flair, painting each figurine with care and detail, while he, conveniently, already had the machinery to get them started. This synergy led to the conception of Cheggo Prints, an aptly named venture combining their nicknames.
“We first started doing it for ourselves, but then we wanted to create figures, paint them, and it just happened that we decided to make it into a business,” Contreras said. “I can do the painting side, making the figure look presentable, and Diego can do the tedious manufacturing.”
Their small business stands as a tangible tribute to the fandoms they love—a homage to the worlds of Marvel, DC and video games like “Risk of Rain”. Behind each carefully crafted figurine is a partnership just as intentionally assembled, curated for support, shaped by shared passion and designed to fill in the gaps when one needs the other.
“Luckily, since it’s the two of us, we can always divide the work. If Diego has a lot of schoolwork, I’ll take over the 3D printing since in 3D printing you just have to start the machine. I’ll go ahead and sand the figurine, paint the primer,” Contreras said. “But if I am busy, Diego will do so.”
As both students navigate the complexities of full-time study alongside creative and entrepreneurial pursuits, forming a partnership grounded in shared interests can serve as both a practical support system and a motivational anchor.
Isabella Sanchez, a graduate student pursuing her master’s in English and American literature, has been dabbling in digital art, branching into other mediums like designing merchandise such as stickers, keychains, bookmarks and prints.
For Sanchez, the demands of academia haven’t stifled creativity—they’ve helped sustain it. Despite academics taking precedence, the structure and intellectual stimulation of graduate life have served as an unexpected catalyst for artistic expression.
“Between semesters, I tend to be very creatively dormant; I’ll be strapped for ideas and unmotivated to finish anything I’ve started,” Sanchez said. “Then suddenly classes start, and I’ll be hit with one idea after another, seizing any free time to create.”
A passion that began at the age of 11 hasn’t been left behind; instead, it’s been refined into a viable source of income.
What once was simply a creative outlet has evolved into a small business, especially appealing for the incentive of extra spending money to splurge on oneself.
“Offering commissions was really formative to me as an artist. Not only was it super validating to have people pay money for my art, but it was also empowering to feel like I successfully marketed myself,” Sanchez said.
Academic ambition and artistic integrity are not at odds. Instead, they coexist harmoniously. With nimble hands and a sharp mind, Tatiana Rodriguez expertly weaves together the demands of pursuing her master’s in English and American literature and teaching crochet as an instructor for continuing education at El Paso Community College. Her dedication to both academia and craft exemplifies how students can nurture creativity while advancing their educational goals.
Rodriguez’s creative journey unveiled itself to her as a freshman at Bel Air High School, where she joined the crochet and knitting club. What started as a small-scale business, crafting and selling handmade items to family, laid the foundation for her continued entrepreneurial spirit alongside her academic pursuits.
“Right now, I’m working on some ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ stuff,” Rodriguez said. “Before I was working on ‘Gravity Falls’ stuff and things like that. Things that I know are popular right now that I think will do good at markets, but I also have those more general items that can fill up the booth.”
Much like the pieces she crochets, Rodriguez’s schedule is intricately woven together. Between promoting her work by word of mouth, managing booths at events like El Paso Comic Con, taking commissions and creating enough inventory to fill her displays, she juggles a demanding load.
“The way I balance my academic responsibilities and my artistic work is that I try to be mindful of how much time I’m spending on each activity so whenever I’m working on my schoolwork, I try to take breaks, I will put on like a short episode and crochet something while I take a little bit of a breather,” Rodriguez said. “It’s same way with crochet, if I realize that I’ve been spending too much time on it I’m like okay let’s put this down and let’s work on some schoolwork.”
In the end, these students prove that academic ambition and creative passion are not opposing forces but complementary parts of a larger journey. Through collaboration, discipline and a shared love for their crafts, they are redefining what it means to succeed, showing that it’s possible to pursue education and artistry side by side, without compromise.
Jazmine Gracia is a writing contributor for The Prospector and can be reached at [email protected]
