Education Grant WinnerBrandy Gonzalez-Kee

Brandy Gonzalez Kee works in Northside ISD, where she leads students through hands on creative courses that blend artistic expression with real world skills. In her classroom, students don’t just make art—they learn how ideas become products and how creativity connects to careers. Brandy is deeply committed to giving students authentic experiences that feel purposeful, professional, and empowering, especially for those who discover their confidence through making and doing.

Her Firstmark Foundation funded project, Wash, Print, Create: The Complete Student Printing Experience, completed a vital missing piece in her screen printing program. With the addition of a professional washout booth, high quality screens, and essential supplies, students are now able to manage the entire screen printing process from start to finish. No longer limited by improvised cleanup methods, students learn proper studio practices while reclaiming and caring for their screens in a safe, sustainable way. The project transforms screen printing from a partial activity into a full production cycle that mirrors industry standards used in design, branding, and print production.

The impact reaches more than 170 students each year, with ripple effects far beyond Brandy’s classroom. Students gain confidence as they produce professional quality prints and articulate their creative decisions in critiques, developing problem solving, collaboration, and ownership along the way. By sharing this model with colleagues through professional learning, Brandy is helping expand access to arts based career skills—ensuring that creativity isn’t just expressive, but future ready.