By Catherine Brown
Office of Development and Alumni Relations

In February of 2024, Wanda Felsenhardt, a student at the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter, answered a classified ad on Handshake, a recruiting tool that connects VCU students and alumni with employers and opportunities. 

The job? Create a set of four illustrated prints of Richmond to help raise money for VCU’s Student Life and Learning fund. That fund provides financial support for students so they can participate in internships and other hands-on experiences to develop job-ready skills. When donors support the fund, they receive a limited-edition print. 

Each print depicts a well-known aspect of the city: nature, with scenes from Maymont Park, Monroe Park and the James River; the arts, with people playing musical instruments and reading on the lawn of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts; and history, with views of the Capitol, Main Street Station, the Egyptian building and turn-of-the-twentieth-century row houses in the Fan District. The theme of the fourth print will be revealed this fall. 

Felsenhardt graduates from VCU this month with a degree in experience design, which involves developing interactive physical and digital experiences through websites or apps that encourage customer engagement with brands. 

Throughout her time at the Brandcenter, part of the School of Business, Felsenhardt has tried to set herself up for success, taking advantage of as many opportunities as possible to develop skills, gain experience and network. 

“I see graduate school as a second chance to be more strategic about finding activities to participate in,” Felsenhardt says. 

Not that Felsenhardt frittered away her undergraduate years. While studying international relations and French at University of South Carolina, she worked as a designer for the student newspaper and magazine, turning her art-making hobby into a resume-ready skill. That helped her land a job as a graphic designer for Georgetown’s Office of Alumni Relations, where she worked for three years before coming to VCU. 

To support herself while at the Brandcenter, Felsenhardt has worked part time in the VCU Creative Print Bureau, a digital print shop and self-service studio in the Pollak Building where she helps art students use book-binding equipment to work on projects. She spends her free time in The Workshop located in Cabell Library, using the laser cutter and the 3D printer — “When else am I going to be able to use this type of equipment?” she asks.

In 2023, Felsenhardt participated in VCU Libraries’ Jurgen Comics Content and won grand prize for her look at censorship in prisons. She has also sold comics and zines in the Richmond Indie Comic Expo, organized by VCU School of the Arts’ students and held at Cabell Library, and the Richmond Zine Fest that takes place in the Richmond Public Library. 

Creating these mini booklets provides a side gig she can continue after graduating and helps her hone the storytelling skills she uses in experience design. “From an advertising perspective, you’re trying to tell the story of the brand in a compelling way,” Felsenhardt says. 

Participation in RVA Game Jams — where teams work together to develop a game “that’s as silly as possible,” Felsenhardt says — helped her line up work with an advertising agency, creating online games involving the characters of the toys that come with a kid’s meal at a major fast food restaurant. 

“It’s good to take time to do fun things you like to do, because that’s the way you can meet people and network,” Feslsenhardt says. 

The networking she’s done, the experiences she’s gained and the skills she’s developed while at VCU will serve Felsenhardt well as she moves into the next phase of life. 

If you’d like to make a gift to VCUs Student Life and Learning Fund and get a 4 x 6 limited-edition print by Wanda Felsenhardt, visit give.vcu.edu/spring-artwork-appeal-2025/.