Hsiang: Other than your role at the film festival, can you tell us more about your life after SVA and what else you are up to?

Valerie: Well, I spent some time working in post production environments as well as teaching right after graduating. When I first left New York, I was able to continue to teach at Virginia Commonwealth University in the Kinetic Imaging Department as well as Art Foundations Department. I am currently teaching within the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Mississippi and will begin teaching within the Computer and Information Science Department beginning next Fall. I also started a small arts entity here in Oxford called misbits: a new media art space, because I wanted to bring in more media related art to Oxford, Mississippi. Misbits is among many reasons why I was invited to be involved with the Oxford Film Festival and to teach at the University of Mississippi.

Hsiang: How does your education at SVA impact your current career?

Valerie: I would say that it has had a very strong impact on my current career. I found myself living in a place where my chosen career path did not seem to fit and I found a way to make it fit. I have also maintained contact with classmates and teachers and these relationships are still important because they help me to feel grounded.

Hsiang: Now that you are a mother of two daughters, can you let us know how you balance between work, your art and family?

Valerie: It is difficult and you have to make sacrifices all around. I find myself working out projects or tasks consistently as I go about my day and especially on the days that I am home with the kids. This way, once I get a stretch of time to work, I can just do the work until my time is up and I then have to work out the next steps in my head until I get my next “work” sitting.

Hsiang: Can you give any advice to current students?

Valerie: The advice to network and make connections is a huge one. Everybody says it but it is very true. It really makes a big difference after you graduate. I would also try to take advantage of all of the resources, connections, and events that SVA has to offer. I still kick myself at missed opportunities where I decided to instead spend a few more hours working on my thesis and not really making much advancement when I could have heard the Brothers Quay speak at the SVA Theatre instead, for example.

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