A National First-Generation College Celebration Day Highlight.
From being the first person in his family to earn a four-year degree to garnering a half-million views on TikTok with innovative content solutions, Luis Arriaga is creating a legacy of perseverance while charting a path to a successful career in design innovation.
Arriaga graduated from the Florida A&M University School of Journalism & Graphic Communication (FAMU SJGC) in August 2025 with a degree in graphic design. He left campus with multiple American Advertising Awards (ADDYs) on his résumé, new confidence as the recipient of the Graphic Communication Division Director’s Senior of the Year Award, and, most importantly, proud parents and siblings by his side.
Graduating magna cum laude, he said his achievements at FAMU reflect not only his own fortitude but also the sacrifices and support of his family, mentors and peers.
“My degree carries generations of those who never got the chance to earn one,” he said. “My whole family is from Mexico, and most of them never had the opportunity to pursue higher education,” said the Lehigh Acres, Florida, native. “Choosing to become a FAMU Rattler was one of the best decisions I’ve made. It gave me lifelong connections, invaluable skills, and a sense of belonging.”
A transfer student from Tallahassee State College, ingenuity has been a recurring theme for Arriaga from childhood through his time on “The Hill.”
“My passion for design actually started in middle school through a YouTube channel I created,” he said. “I made ‘Call of Duty’ and ‘Minecraft’ content and taught myself Photoshop and Premiere Pro so I could design my own thumbnails, graphics and videos. I quickly fell in love with the creative process.”
After high school, he decided to pursue a design degree and began by enrolling in community college, but his eyes were set on the prize of a four-year degree.
“Transferring from TSC to SJGC was a smooth experience that pushed me to grow both academically and personally,” he said. “I quickly found a supportive community that encouraged me to step into leadership roles and explore new opportunities.”
Some of those opportunities included bringing a local student publication regional and statewide recognition, launching his own design research project to support creatives on social media, and using his art to inspire communities often overlooked.
Arriaga worked with Tallahassee’s student-run Diverse World Fashion magazine, founded at Florida State University and designed to unite diverse emerging creatives in the area. For the magazine, he directed a conceptual fashion spread called “Chromatica,” inspired by cybersigilism, a blend of technological and mystical aesthetics.
With FAMU SJGC professors and students cheering him on, Arriaga submitted his work to the North Central Florida ADDY Awards, where he received top honors for his creative direction, including a Gold Award in the “Sales & Marketing, Collateral Material, Editorial Spread or Feature” category and a Silver Award in the “Elements of Advertising, Still Photography, Digitally Enhanced” category. He also won “Best of Category” and other top honors at the Florida Print Awards for his work.
As a student, he launched two projects that earned him recognition in the SJGC Senior Gallery. He created Bleue Design Club, a digital storefront offering tech pack templates and mockups tailored for clothing brand owners, to test new content strategies focused on design trends, brand re-imagining and archival studies. His research leveraged platforms like TikTok and Instagram as key growth engines. As a result, the brand experiment attracted more than 500,000 views on TikTok during his time on campus.
Menos Élites, Más Elotes is a stamp design suite that Arriaga created during his studies. It was inspired by his Mexican American heritage. The collection’s name pays homage to a phrase used to bring attention to wealth inequality and highlights the plights of Mexico’s lower class and the American working class. He also paid tribute to Mexico’s 1968 Olympics graphic design style in his creations.
In addition to his internships and graphic design freelance work, such as roles at eyewear brand Drovision, apparel line Not An Influencer, and Strike Magazine, Arriaga has also worked to support his educational goals outside of design, including in health care and patient services. That experience has inspired him to bring his design skills into the consumer experience sector, helping others navigate life more easily.
He is currently pursuing UX/UI certification via Google’s online courses to help design digital experiences that truly serve people and make online resources more intuitive and empowering to use.
Arriaga shared that his determination to pursue excellence while uplifting others was strengthened by the encouragement he received in the classrooms and halls of FAMU SJGC.
“The high standards and mentorship from my professors prepared me to excel and equipped me with the resilience and resourcefulness that I’ll carry into my future career,” he said.
View some examples of Luis Arriaga’s design work below.
Visuals are property of Luis Arriaga, Not An Influencer, Drovision, Diverse World Fashion.
