WSSU Art Student Ciara Hill’s work is speaking for itself — and she’s just getting started

Ciara Hill frequently drew cartoon characters when she was a little girl. And before she returned library books, she drew pictures from them, too.

When Winston-Salem State University held Spring 2026 Commencement Exercises last month, Hill’s artwork adorned the inside of diploma covers graduates received as they walked across the stage. And several of her paintings were on display at Diggs Art Gallery the week before graduation.

“From the very beginning, she stood out as a student who brought genuine enthusiasm into art practice,” WSSU Art Professor Hye Young Kim said of Hill, a senior art major scheduled to graduate ahead of schedule in the fall. “She is positive, energetic and creative.

“Ciara has a strong passion for art that extends well beyond the classroom,” Kim continued. “She’s curious and ambitious and not afraid to create something new. She welcomes challenges and consistently finds creative ways to solve them. Her willingness to experiment across different media is one of her greatest strengths.”

Hill, the daughter of former WSSU Men’s Basketball Coach Cleo Hill Jr., said drawing was her favorite pastime when she was younger.

“Any piece of paper would do,” she recalls. “All I needed was a pencil, a pen and a piece of paper. I could draw just about anything I looked at.”

After spending a year and a half at Durham Technical Community College, Hill enrolled at Winston-Salem State University in the fall of 2023 and is on track to graduate in three years. She chose to attend WSSU because of its art program.

“There are so many things you wouldn’t know the art department does unless you’re majoring in art,” Hill said. “For example, we have 3-D printing … and we also have an art gallery on campus. The art department offers us more one-on-one attention than some of the larger departments.”

Although she considered majoring in business – she owns Inkdrip Designs, which specializes in logos, paintings and animation – Hill ultimately chose art to become a more well-rounded artist. Her clients are typically ages 18 to 35 and usually want custom paintings. Many are members of collegiate Greek organizations or small business owners, including T-shirt designers.

Hill started her business in 2019, two years after graduating from C.E. Jordan High School in Durham. A year after enrolling at WSSU, she placed third in RamPitch, a contest held during Scholarship Week in which students pitch their businesses for cash prizes.

She was happy about placing third in that RamPitch contest but ecstatic when her drawing was chosen to line the inside of the diploma covers. Hill learned about the contest from Kim, who announced in an art class the Registrar’s Office wanted to showcase a student’s work. Hill knew immediately she’d enter the contest because landscapes and architecture are her favorite things to capture.

“They gave us a few choices, including the campus archway, the clock tower and the doorway entrance to the library, and I chose the archway because I knew it was going to be a challenge and I wanted to challenge myself,” Hill said. “Also, it was significant to me because of the archway ceremony that’s part of Ramdition, held during the first week of our freshman year.”

Hill spent two weeks creating her entry and felt good about her chances. An email delivered the news she hoped for. “I said, ‘Oh, my gosh,’” Hill recalled. “I was so happy that something I created was going to be in a diploma cover for my university. I told my best friends, Saraye Sius and Natalia Saprapasen, and they were so happy and started screaming with me.”

Hill expects to receive her own diploma in December and plans to enroll in UNC School of the Arts to obtain a master’s degree in scenic painting in fall 2027.

Kim expects her to do well post-WSSU.

“Ciara has strong technical skills and diverse experiences across multiple media, all of which will support her in becoming a successful scenic designer.” Kim said. “Her interest in how spaces shape experience is also a natural fit for scenic painting.”

One of Hill’s biggest attributes, her professor added, is her humility.

“Ciara has a deep passion for art,” Kim said. “She loves art, and she loves being an artist. She’s very expressive about her creative work, but always in a way that invites others in rather than drawing attention to herself.”