- Hi, my name is Brian Parker, I'm a author and illustrator and publisher of young adult fiction and graphic novels. And I'm also an alum of Mississippi State School of 91ΧΤΕΔ, Art, and Design. For my bona fides, I published a graphic novel called You Can Rely on Platypi. I am also a published science fiction author for young adults. Ta-da. And I have another book coming out this year. Tease! So my time at Mississippi State really helped me solidify my passion in art. I came into the school with a really strong interest in graphic novels, children's books, illustration, but I didn't actually have any real idea of how to focus that as a career, or as a calling, if you would. Just through the awesome professors, the amazing coursework that was available for the art department, I was able to kind of hone the abilities that I had and to really focus it on something that I was passionate about. And it took me a while to figure out how to go about making that a career. But I was constantly being encouraged by my professors in the art department. They didn't let you slide. They didn't let you do what was easy or obvious. They were constantly pushing you to dig deeper, try harder, you know, apply what you're interested in in the course work. And that gave me a lot of opportunities to develop what is currently my style and the things that I'm most passionate about. And a lot of that started in Soon Ee Ngoh's drawing class. And Soon Ee was hard-core, you know, the amazing artist, a really focused professional, and she didn't skip on making sure that you were applying the most effort to the work that you were doing. And that meant the world to me and my development as an artist. So, I encourage anyone to dive in at Mississippi State and to really take advantage of all the great things that are available there to you as an artist and as a developing person and storyteller. So thank you.