Student Illustrates a COVID-19 "Survival Guide"

Student Gaby Alvarado found inspiration in how her cat was responding to the #COVID19 situation. A visual artist as well as policy analyst, Gaby taught herself some design and video skills to create this fun illustrated guide. pic.twitter.com/KUx5FEWPVL

— Pardee RAND (@PardeeRAND) April 17, 2020

April 17, 2020

As is true of all of our students, Gaby Alvarado (cohort '19) is more than a policy analyst.

Inspired by her cat (Princess Olivia), Gaby decided to illustrate seven simple rules to help her friends get through the pandemic.

Gaby said she "loves all things art/graphic design related," so she bought some video editing software and took a break from her studies and research to develop a new skill-set—and share some joy and humor with her friends.

Asked how she created the video, she said, "A couple of the elements and cats I drew myself. The desk, computer and cat in the tree, I used stock images. And then I added everything to a video editing software where I can highlight the lines in each drawing and set reveal paths so that it looks like its being drawn in real time."

Initially, she shared it with her classmates and Dean Susan Marquis. Marquis liked it so much, she asked if the school could share it with a broader audience.

"I have had a very serious conversation with Princess Olivia and she has agreed to allow us to share her video on the school’s platforms," Gaby replied. "She is very happy to be able to bring joy to people."