Part of the 2024-25 Student Spotlight Series, featuring Lis Gonzalez of Gretna, Neb. Gonzalez is a native of Santiago, Chile.
With two aunts and a grandma as artists in the family, majoring in Studio Art was almost automatic for Wayne State sophomore Lis Gonzalez. The native of Santiago, Chile, who now lives in Gretna, is the subject of this week’s installment of the Student Spotlight Series.
Gonzalez does paintings and sculpture, and she says sculpture helps her feel closer to home.
“My sculpture helps me deal with homesickness,” said Gonzalez. “I’ve always enjoyed art, and it’s been part of my life ever since I was a little girl.”
Another way Gonzalez deals with homesickness is with the support she receives from her friends in the SIRI (Students Inspiring Respectable Ideas) Multicultural Sorority Interest Group. SIRI recently celebrated its one-year anniversary on campus, and Gonzalez serves as the group’s fundraising chair.
“When I came to the United States three years ago, I had a hard time finding a place where I belonged,” said Gonzalez. “SIRI has been truly remarkable for me. All of my sorority sisters are genuinely supportive of each other.”
“Wayne State and the Wayne community have also been positive for me,” added Gonzalez. “Santiago is heavily populated, but I definitely found more stability here. The Studio Arts Building on campus is big and has a lot of room, but you are still able to get to know everyone.”
Gonzalez will graduate in May 2027, and she aspires to own an art gallery someday so she can display art from around the world.