Congratulations to Genaldri Tjahjadi BIC ‘23 for being this year’s AIGA Fresh Grad!! Each year, the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) showcases the thesis projects of graduate students from design colleges across the city to an enthusiastic and supportive audience. Only one “Fresh Grad” is selected to represent each graduate program designated by the AIGA as fostering the unique creative community here in New York City. 

Usually held in The New School auditorium in Greenwich Village, this year’s ceremony was to be its first in-person event since the pandemic. Unfortunately that night, New York City was shrouded in a hazardous orange haze due to Canadian wildfires. So the AIGA moved the event online. But you can breathe easy: Genaldri was a rock star as he presented “Drag thru Hell,” a launch campaign for the Diablo franchise that seemed wildly appropriate on this evening where the NYC skyline appeared to be part of the netherworld. His teammates for this project, Jaymie Lunt and Hanako Suzuki, as well as an enthusiastic cheering section from BIC, were in the audience rooting him on.  

Genaldri joins Jack Yu (BIC ‘22), Melissa Orr (BIC ‘20) and Natalie Alcide (BIC ‘19) as winners of AIGA Fresh Grad award and the only ones to represent any CUNY school. Other award-winners at the 3-hour event represented prestigious NYC schools such as Cooper Union, Parsons School of Design, and Pratt.