AWC student wins national graphic design contest for NISOD conference

A student project that began as a digital mural assignment ended with national recognition for Arizona Western College, putting the college’s creative pathway in focus for La Paz County students looking for a foothold in design and communications. Saghey Barcenas won the 2026 Student Graphic Design Contest tied to the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development conference, a competition that drew entries from students at more than 30 colleges.

Barcenas’s design was built around the student journey, using imagery of the past, present and future to reflect the move from a first day on campus to graduation. The contest asked students to create a digital mural for the annual conference, and the winning artwork was selected through a blind review using the SGDC rubric. NISOD said the project was meant to highlight student voice, and the final mural will stand 5 feet tall and 10 feet wide, with versions also used as black-and-white coloring sheets and full-color promotional art.

The award was announced June 5, and Barcenas received it at the NISOD conference in Austin, Texas, where the presentation came during the May 23-26 gathering. The prize included $1,000, travel support of up to $400, up to two nights of lodging and one complimentary conference registration. CCCSE Director Dr. Courtney Adkins presented the award.

At AWC, the win also pointed to the support system behind the work. Michael Rose said he first met Barcenas in a language exchange class and later taught her in GRA-106, where he saw her natural talent develop. Luis Landeros said Barcenas was already working in AWC Print Services and was creating design work on her own time, a mix of job experience and coursework that helped shape a portfolio strong enough to stand out nationally.

Barcenas also brings a public-facing communications background to her work. She co-hosts Siendo Primero on KOFA Border Radio, and Arizona Western College lists the show as an official multilingual, first-generation-focused podcast. In a Feb. 5 episode, Barcenas and Melanie Ruiz Lopez spoke with first-generation AWC students about what that experience means, and a March 5 episode centered on student jobs and the pressure of finding work without experience.

For families in Parker, Quartzsite and other La Paz County communities, the story shows what the AWC pipeline can look like when classroom instruction, faculty guidance, campus jobs and media opportunities line up. A national contest win does not happen in a vacuum. It came from a college environment where a student could learn design, produce real work, build a portfolio and test that work against a national field.