🎓ANNOUNCING THE 2026 WESTPHAL COMMENCEMENT SPEAKERS🎓
We’re thrilled to welcome Digital Media alum Girish Balakrishnan back to Drexel to deliver the keynote remarks at our College Commencement ceremony! Girish is an innovative leader operating at the intersection of technology and storytelling. With over a decade of experience spanning studio strategy, business development, and production innovation across live action, animation, and games, he has helped shape how modern content is created. As Senior Director of Creative Innovation at Netflix, Girish leads studio investment strategy across emerging technologies, including generative AI, real-time workflows, and transmedia.
Esther Im, a Graphic Design major and member of @pennonihonors , will represent the undergraduate class of 2026. During her time at Drexel, she worked at Apple as a
Content Development intern and is currently pursuing a career in design, creative strategy, and art
education. She has worked with the Dean’s Office at the Westphal College as a Marketing Intern, holds
leadership roles in several student organizations including the Campus Activities Board, and serves as a
guest lecturer for communications classes as part of her Independent Study. Post-graduation, Esther is excited to celebrate with her loved ones that are making the trip to Philly!
Gabriela Mosqueira Robles is an architect from Peru and a Master’s in Interior Architecture graduate from Drexel University. She earned her architecture degree from the University of Lima in 2020, including an exchange at IUAV University of Venice, and spent four years in design roles in Peru as a Design Coordinator and co-founding a studio focused on residential and commercial interiors. Her experience includes residential design and restoration work in Lima’s Historic Center. She later moved to Philadelphia to expand her practice through graduate study, working with Performance Kitchens & Home. Her work focuses on thoughtful, human-centered interiors shaped by professional and international experience. Gabriela is step into what’s next and continue shaping her path as a designer.
Iterations: Creative Research in Motion is a new podcast about creativity, design, and the ideas that emerge when disciplines collide. From Drexel Westphal, Iterations brings in the voices of faculty, researchers, artists, and community partners to explore how the creative disciplines inform solutions to social and environmental problems.
In season one, we’re investigating the relationship between design, the arts, and health. Launching in March 2026 - subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts! Link in bio 🔗
Graduate college ✅
Jam with a member of the Roots at the Mann Center ✅
Is this real life??
Keynote speaker @jamespoyser treated 2025 grads (and the incomparable Drexel Fusion Band under the direction of Lynn Riley) to an impromptu jam session at the end of our Commencement ceremony. A pretty satisfying way to close out this joyous day!
#foreverdragons
It’s all been leading to this 🐎
WESTPHEST, our annual showcase of student creative work, scholarship, and research, kicks off in just a few days - but our students have been building their portfolios and skills for years. Join us for exhibitions, performances, screenings, fashion shows, and thesis presentations as we celebrate the Westphal Class of 2026.
Link in bio to all events 🔗
NOMAS Teaching Outreach 🧑🏫
We launched off April with Lindy Scholars Program at Martha Washington, which introduced students to architecture through the lens of Philadelphia landmarks.
The Creative Career Exploration Day x Girls Inc. was a collaborative with Drexel students across disciplines which exposed high school students to a multitude of creative fields and career paths.
We ended with the Franklin Institute PACTS Program. A sustainable design charrette where students reimagined a bus stop in front of Westphal with scale and accessibility in mind.
April was a month full of community outreach and learning. We are so grateful for everyone involved 🙌
FIM Student Work Exhibition
is now on view in the URBN Center Lobby,
3501 Market Street
through May 8
See the work of NRF and FSF Scholarship winners Madison-Jade Bishop, Emme Serafino & Aalona Snell as well as the work of 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th year students.
@drexelwestphal@radclubdrexel@designandmerchandisingmagazine #fashionmerchandising #fashionindustry #aiimagecreation #digitaldesign #fashionproductdevelopment
WESTPHEST: Fashion Industry & Merchandising Student Showcase
Monday, JUNE 8, 2026
6PM - 8PM
3401 Filbert Street (URBN Annex/Pearlstein Gallery)
Unfiltered: Fashion, Truth, and the Next Generation of Industry Thinking
The 2026 Fashion Industry & Merchandising senior exhibition presents work from emerging professionals who refuse to take fashion at face value. Across research, creative practice, and original business proposals, students interrogate what fashion communicates, who it serves, and where it falls short — framing dress as a powerful form of communication at the intersection of personal expression, cultural memory, and social influence.
Projects span the full breadth of the industry. Some trace how identity moves through clothing, exploring symbolism, heritage, and storytelling across global aesthetics. Others follow the supply chain to places the industry would rather not look, holding brands accountable for what they obscure. A strong technology thread runs through the exhibition — from AR and VR in beauty retail to AI-powered try-on systems and anti-counterfeiting tools for digital fashion files. Equally compelling are original brand creation and expansion proposals, where students move from analysis into action, designing adaptive wear lines, brand extensions, experiential retail models, and strategies for global creative direction.
Together these projects make a single argument: the future of fashion belongs to professionals who can read culture, question systems, and build with both innovation and responsibility in mind.
Attendees can expect to be inspired by the innovative ideas and groundbreaking solutions presented at this eagerly anticipated senior show.
There will be lite bites and drinks. This event is free.
RSVP early at the QR code or link: /e/westphest-fashion-industry-merchandising-student-showcase-tickets-1987063220583?aff=oddtdtcreator
@drexelwestphal@radclubdrexel@designandmerchandisingmagazine@thecloseschool
