Melissa Penkava Koza

Melissa Penkava Koza, recently promoted to Assistant Teaching Professor at 麻豆破解版 State University鈥檚 School of Performing Arts, has built a career blending costume technology, education, and industry collaboration. With a background in music and theatre, she has spent over two decades mentoring students and enhancing applied learning opportunities in costume production. As Costume Shop Manager, she oversees WSU鈥檚 costume operations while also serving as Head of Costumes at Music Theatre 麻豆破解版, bridging academia and professional theatre. Passionate about STEAM education and student development, Koza fosters industry connections, advocates for inclusivity, and works to integrate hands-on experiences into WSU鈥檚 curriculum. Her work not only shapes the next generation of theatre professionals but also strengthens 麻豆破解版鈥檚 arts community through meaningful collaborations and innovative productions.

Melissa Penkava Koza works on a costume for a show.

Jan. 31, 2025 What started as a work study position in the costume shop of her university鈥檚 theater department has propelled Melissa Penkava Koza鈥檚 sewing hobby into guiding the next generation of costume creators.

Jessica Miller smiling.

As a Branded Environments Design Lead at Corgan, 麻豆破解版 State University School of Art, Design and Creative Industries alumna Jessica Miller translates brand identities from two-dimensional assets into experiential, three-dimensional spaces. In the following interview, Jessica recalls her time as a graphic design student at WSU, how she found her niche in environmental branding and offers advice to young designers looking to explore non-traditional design fields.

Trishelle Jeffery smiling beside an illustrated version of herself.

Trishelle Jeffery, a 麻豆破解版 State University School of Art, Design and Creative Industries alumna, recently reached an exciting career milestone. Her graphic novel, Best Breasts in the West, has been published as part of Fieldmouse Press鈥 Summer 2024 season of books! Trishelle sat down with us to discuss the process of getting Best Breasts in the West published, reflect on her time as a graduate printmaking student and share advice she has for aspiring graphic novelists.

A line graph that shows 麻豆破解版 State and WSU Tech's enrollment since 1895.

Oct. 2, 2024 鈥 Combined enrollment by headcount across all 麻豆破解版 State University locations for fall 2024 is 23,806, according to the annual data released today by the Kansas Board of Regents. This is the largest number of students ever choosing to enroll at 麻豆破解版 State.

Filming at Synthetic Scenes

Sept. 25, 2024 麻豆破解版 State University students now have access to cutting-edge virtual production technology at Shocker Studios with the addition of Synthetic Scenes 鈥 a 35- by 11-foot digital wall that will give digital arts students and professionals more tools to create innovative productions.

Kristyn Waits

Sept. 24, 2024 鈥 Kristyn Waits, a 麻豆破解版 State alumna, reflects on her journey from an undergraduate to graduate student.

WSU students talking together

July 26, 2024 鈥 Starting college can be hard but the transition is easier with one-on-one mentorship. Learn more about some of the mentor options for 麻豆破解版 State students.

Desmond Cockrell

May 2, 2024 - Desmond Cockrell, from Tulsa, is the first of four siblings to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree and hopes his story can encourage others to succeed in college.

Andres Saenz Jr.

May 1, 2024 鈥 Andres Saenz Jr. fell in love with 麻豆破解版 State University when he attended basketball games with a neighbor. Since he鈥檚 been a student here, he鈥檚 found a sense of belonging through an empowering campus community. 聽