feature / alumni / transportation-design
April 27, 2026
By Mike R. Winder
Images courtesy of GM

BREAKING THE MOLD: GM’S WOMEN DESIGNERS INSPIRE THE NEXT GENERATION AT ARTCENTER 

ALL-WOMEN PANEL FROM GM’S ADVANCED DESIGN STUDIO, FEATURING MANY COLLEGE ALUMNI, SHARE CAREER ADVICE WITH TRANSPORTATION DESIGN STUDENTS 

In 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimated that about 50.5% of licensed American drivers were women. Despite this, women make up only a fraction of the industry’s transportation designers. 

Thankfully, that situation continues to improve, and a panel discussion held last term at ArtCenter’s South Campus, featuring all the women designers—including several ArtCenter alumni—currently working at General Motors’ (GM) Advanced Design Studio in Pasadena, drove home the point that the landscape is shifting for women in the industry. 

Organized by then-Transportation Design student Delaney Barr (BS 25), the GM Women in Design Panel brought together a dozen designers, who worked in departments ranging from Project Planning and Trends and Experiences to Exterior Design and Digital Modeling. The panel fielded questions from an audience of mostly students gathered in a classroom in the College’s Mullin Transportation Design Center. 

One student in the audience asked the group why there were no older women sitting on the panel, considering that every woman from GM’s Advanced Design Studio was present. The panelists answered by saying their youth reflects the trajectory of the industry, explaining that many of the panelists began at other studios where they were the only women on their respective teams. Over time, they explained, more women joined their ranks.  

“At GM, you’re surrounded by people from a wide range of backgrounds, disciplines and experiences, which creates a dynamic and inspiring workplace,” said Anhui (Annie) Jeong (BS 21), an exterior designer, elaborating on the theme of diversity. “I’ve also found that people at GM are genuinely supportive and respectful of one another. There’s a strong emphasis on open communication and mutual respect, which makes it easier to share ideas, receive feedback and grow professionally.” 

Another student asked how important it is as a new designer to be able to specialize in one specific area versus having to be skilled across multiple disciplines.  

"In a professional work setting there are teams for different skills, and while technical skills can be learned, your design needs to mature first to be able to work well in that setting,” said Youjin An (BS 19), a digital sculptor, in response to the student’s question. “Learn enough about other disciplines to be able to communicate with other teams and to sell the design." 

“Students should focus on what they are most passionate about,” said Laura Arias (BS 14), a senior exterior designer, who also teaches at ArtCenter. “Different personalities thrive in different areas. Work well with your hands? Clay modeling might be for you. Like technical, mathy approaches and fine-tuning until reflections are perfect? Digital modeling! Even interior and exterior design are different skill sets. Show what you’re excited about making and you’ll go further than trying to fit yourself in a box.” 

When asked what she enjoys most about working for the automaker, Jeong highlighted the breadth of opportunity. “One of the biggest advantages [of working at GM] is the opportunity to work across a diverse portfolio of brands, which allows you to expand your perspective as a designer and continuously challenge yourself creatively,” she said. “Being exposed to different brand identities and design philosophies not only strengthens your skill set but also helps you grow strategically in how you approach design problems.” 

Another student asked the panelists which skill turned out to be more important than they had anticipated as students. The panelists unanimously agreed that the answer was communication. Communicating—whether communicating a design in 2D to hand over to 3D modelers or designers communicating their design intent with engineers—is paramount. Every discipline looks at a problem differently, the panelists said, and each side needs to understand the other to solve the problem at hand. 

After the discussion, the panelists stayed for several hours to review the students’ portfolios and to discuss their career goals. 

In addition to  Jeong, An and Arias, the panel also included fabrication designers Mariana Cabrera and Qiaozhi Wang; program manager Shastina Holmes; experience designer Junia Lapp; interior designers Elyse Lee (BS 21) and Grace Lee (BS 19); clay sculptor Ava Lim; senior sculpting manager Chelsea Semiday; and design engineer Carla Puig. 

This panel is just one recent example of a decades-long relationship between ArtCenter and GM. In 1960, the automaker sponsored a futuristic challenge in which students imagined turbine-powered vehicles. Since then, the company has sponsored studio collaborations, funded scholarships, supported public programs for high school students, and much more. To date, more than 150 ArtCenter alumni have gone on to work at GM.