Staff Designer

Amanda Maisto‘s desire is to impact others through art. During high school, she took various art classes and decided to continue that passion at Northampton Community College by majoring in Communication Design. She never pictured herself at a mundane “9 to 5” job that would give her financial stability but leave her unhappy and unfulfilled. Amanda wants to make a difference.

After graduating from NCC in 2020, she plans to transfer to another school to earn a Bachelor’s degree, but she’s unsure at this point what school that will be.

Amanda is a snowboarding geek — she has worked at Camelback Mountain Resort as a snowboard instructor (and as a lifeguard during summer!). In the winter, you’ll find her either outside on her board or inside drawing or painting. Much of her work reflects her love of the outdoors and the winter season. At other times of the year, she enjoys traveling, making art, and reading.

Traveling to Canada alone and snowboarding on that country’s high peaks is the scariest thing Amanda has done. “I have only ever gone snowboarding around where I live … and the heights aren’t too bad for me. I have always been afraid of heights, so being in a strange place with insane mountain heights was terrifying,” she said. Amanda did enjoy the trip, though, and attributes it to helping her overcome her fear of heights.

Amanda’s reasons for wanting to participate in the program are both professional and personal.

“I am a supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and am very excited to participate and have an amazing experience learning more about the community as a whole. I feel that this experience will not only teach me more about the LGBTQ+ community but teach me more leadership skills, new artistic skills, and help me open up even more as an individual. … I feel as though my mind has been opened up to so many new ideas and that has pushed me as an artist and as a young woman. Using my current knowledge of typography and art to share stories of individuals with any sort of message is an honor. People share their stories in confidence that it will be told the way they shared it and to tell that story through art is so powerful.”