How a Scholarship Nurtured Cassandra Supak’s Creativity

For student Cassandra Supak, receiving a philanthropically funded scholarship at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) wasn't just financial aid—it was the key to fully immersing herself in her artistic practice. It gave her something invaluable: time. Time to explore, to take creative risks, and to step beyond the structured problem-solving of her past. 

"Coming from a math and science background, it felt like a great opportunity to have support in a space that values not just technical skill, but the human experience—arts, culture, and society. That's something not every program focuses on."

For over a decade, Supak has specialized in aquatic engineering, beginning with her undergraduate studies in engineering at the University of Missouri and continuing as a project manager, engineer, and coordinator in Chicago and Orlando. Her time at SAIC has built on that strong technical foundation, opening new possibilities in engineering, architecture, and design. 

Her graduate projects reflect this interdisciplinary evolution: Escalier, a garden shop and café concept designed around Chicago's Van Buren Street train line, uses brick cladding and strategic glazing to buffer sound while filling the space with natural light. Her Cube Garden—a modular, transportable pergola with integrated rainwater collection systems—demonstrates her commitment to resilient, adaptable design for global contexts.

"SAIC doesn't want you to just check all the boxes—they push you to think bigger," she said. "It was so encouraging to design with freedom, to create something that wasn't just functional but truly meaningful."

One of the most unexpected impacts of her scholarship was her growing interest in historic preservation. "The scholarship introduced me to a whole new career path," Supak said. "At first, I didn't expect to be so fascinated by something like Chicago's early water system—but the more I researched, the more I realized how much design, infrastructure, and history are connected." 

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Quote and Drawing Courtesy of Cassandra Supak; Graphic by Sophia Salganicoff

Instead of seeing engineering as something separate from art, she's found ways to integrate both worlds. "I used to feel like engineering was presenting me with strictly technical and budget-driven opportunities that didn't fully reflect who I was. But now, I see how I can apply that knowledge in ways that are meaningful to me."

This philosophy shines through in projects like Water Veins, which examines urban hydrological systems through both engineering and artistic lenses, and Wardian Case, a contemporary reinterpretation of historical plant-transport technologies. These works exemplify her unique approach to revealing connections between human infrastructure and natural systems.

Supak believes scholarships like the one she received are essential to making art and design education accessible to students from diverse backgrounds. "Scholarships are an invitation to bring your perspective and share it," she explained. "Even if you come from STEM, you bring a unique way of thinking. For me, having gone to high school in Japan but also being deeply connected to Illinois, SAIC's international environment made me feel like I was exactly where I needed to be."

To students applying for scholarships, Supak's advice is simple: be real. "Be earnest and honest about what you're looking for. Be honest about what you bring to the table. And most importantly, find meaning in what you're doing." She also emphasized the importance of gratitude. "Having a scholarship is a privilege. Even the person who reads your application and assigns that scholarship is part of your journey. That support system matters."

Thanks to her scholarship, Supak has found herself at the intersection of design, history, and infrastructure—a place she never expected to be. And now, she's taking her research beyond Chicago, with upcoming study abroad trips to explore historic preservation in Rome, Naples, and Pompeii. Supak is also preparing a lecture on preservation technologies for the Association for Preservation Technology International (APTI), analyzing how aging systems can adapt to modern needs. She will also participate in APTI’s Masonry Arch Design Competition alongside a team of SAIC students, which will culminate in their presentation at the organization’s international conference in Providence, Rhode Island later this year.

"It's been a journey of balancing different interests, but now it's all coming together," she said. "This scholarship didn't just help me pursue my education—it helped me discover what I truly want to do."