Honoring the Past, Designing the Future: Joining Oakland Cemetery as Junior Graphic Designer

If you had told my freshman-year self at Georgia State that I’d eventually be designing for THE Oakland Cemetery every day, I would’ve never believed you.

When I first moved to Atlanta, everyone kept telling me, “You have to go to Oakland Cemetery!” My reaction was pretty much: “Ummm, okay? I don’t exactly go to cemeteries for fun…”

But after a few visits, I got it.

Why Oakland is different

Oakland isn't just a place of the past; it’s this vibrant, "island of tranquility" right in the heart of the city. Over the years, I started going during every chapter of my life. I went for peace, for grounding, for celebration, and honestly, just for a break from the noise. It completely flipped my perspective on what a historic pillar of Atlanta could (and should) be.

Now, I’m officially joining the Historic Oakland Foundation as their Junior Graphic Designer.

Designing for a "Vibrant Public Space"

My work here is all about supporting the mission to preserve, restore, and share this space. It’s the perfect intersection of my passion for community-rooted creative work and my background in cultural advocacy (shoutout to my Youth250 and Made By Us family).

Instead of just "marketing a graveyard," I get to develop on-brand visual materials that tell the real stories of Atlanta. I’m working across print and digital platforms to help communicate the cemetery's historical significance while keeping it relevant for the people living here today.

What’s on my desk?

I’m diving into a bit of everything:

• Events & Programming: Helping design the look and feel of our community gatherings.

• Digital & Print Marketing: Making sure our message reaches the right people.

• Merch & More: Creating tangible pieces of Oakland that people can take home.

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I’m so excited to be doing thoughtful, detail-driven design for a place that has given me so much peace over the years. It feels incredibly aligned to be working somewhere that honors the past while staying so deeply engaged with the present community.