Alumni Spotlight: Julen Navarrete

Little did he know, taking a course titled “Public Art: Walk and Talk” during his 8th grade year at ALA would come full circle for Julen Navarrete, ALA ‘21, in both his professional career and personal life. During this course, Julen shared that they took advantage of the location of their school and learned about the meaning and creation of public art pieces throughout downtown San Antonio. This course prepared Julen to take on an internship his senior year at ALA with the city of San Antonio’s Global Engagement Office. As an intern, Julen helped catalog and showcase public art donated by international partners across the city. Interestingly enough, public art administration has become a recurring theme following Julen’s graduation from ALA.

After high school, Julen became a Roadrunner, earning his Bachelor’s degree in Geography and Environmental Sustainability from the University of Texas San Antonio. During his time at UTSA, Julen became a Public Art intern with the San Antonio River Authority. That internship progressed into a part-time position, and now Julen has taken on a full-time position with the San Antonio River Authority as a Communications Coordinator. Julen shared that although his formal education was not concentrated on Marketing or Communications, his education and experiences have empowered him to lean into science communication and the necessary skills needed to create and share content to promote the River Authority.

Recently, Julen’s interest in art, and more specifically photography has led to an exciting opportunity this fall. Oh Yeah Cakes Gallery, is showcasing Julen’s photography as part of an exhibition titled “In Focus: People, Places, and Things.” Julen shared that this is his first showcase and this is one of his proudest accomplishments yet. Moving forward, Julen is excited to continue his education as he begins his Master’s program and hopes to continue connecting with more creatives in the San Antonio community.

You can check out Julen’s art now through October 24th at Oh Yeah Cakes, located at 713 S. St. Mary’s St San Antonio, TX 78205.