2016-2026. DESIGN IS CHANGE™ (DECHA™) is an interdisciplinary undergraduate research and service-learning initiative in conceptual graphic design, technology, and fine arts at Florida International University. Aligned with FIU’s Global Learning outcomes and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the project positions design as a tool for social responsibility and global engagement.
Students have collaborated with over 300 non-profit organizations worldwide to research social issues and produce posters and digital media that address local and global challenges. Through interdisciplinary, inquiry-based methods, DECHA™ fosters global awareness, collaboration, and ethical design practice, preparing students to become active citizen designers committed to positive social change. www.designischange.org
DECHA Posters exhibitions at multiple venues: FIU Miami Beach Urban Studios (2017), DORCAM (2023), City Of Miami, Art in Public Places, Wynwood (2024)
2024-5, “Design is Change” posters. Curated FIU citizen Designers’ poster exhibition at public venues. City of Miami, Art in Public Places, Riverside, FL, USA.
In 2025, the Storm Drain Art Project was a collaborative graphic design student stencil initiative that fostered community engagement and raised public awareness about trash pollution and environmental responsibility. Developed through a partnership between the City of Miami, its Art in Public Places and Office of Resilience and Sustainability divisions, Ocean Conservancy, and Florida International University, the project engaged students from the BFA Digital Arts in Graphic Design. Student-designed stencils were painted at storm drains across the city, serving as visible reminders of how everyday actions affect waterways, public health, and the climate crisis, particularly in underserved communities, while empowering students through hands-on civic and environmental stewardship.
www.stormdrainart.com
The project was exhibited at FIU Miami Beach Urban Studios in 2025. Catalog, ISBN 979-8-26-107382-6
2025, Storm Drain Art curated exhibition. A community stencil design in collaboration with the City of Miami, Art in Public Places, Ocean Conservancy, and Shores Network. Washington Gallery, MBUS, Miami Beach, Florida, USA. Catalog, ISBN 9798261073826
2023-2026.
Who Women Are: A Context in the Arts.
An international Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) initiative at Florida International University, Who Women Are examines women’s identities, agency, and visibility through artistic and philosophical practices. The project brings together students, faculty, and communities across South Africa and India, exploring representation through image, text, sound, and space, and connecting social, cultural, and embodied experiences.
Students from FIU Art & Art History (CARTA), in collaboration with the Central University of Technology (CUT), the work emphasizes intersectional, culturally grounded inquiry.
In 2024, the project was exhibited at the Green Library and entered the permanent collection of Special Collections at the Library. Beginning in 2026, the collaboration expands to Hyderabad, India with the School of Art & Design at Woxsen University, further strengthening a globally engaged, research-driven arts practice.
See permanent collection at the FIU Green Library gallery.
https://specialcollections.fiu.edu/content/who-women-are
