Jason Kartez, who earned his MFA from the School of Education’s Art Department in 2018, was interviewed last month for a Shoutout LA web series titled, “Social impact: how does your business help the community or the world?”

After graduating from UW–Madison, Kartez moved to Los Angeles, California, where he now works as a K-12 art educator. “The cornerstone of my educational philosophy is that it is important to offer K-12 students art education that is at a professional level but also matches students’ present level of cognitive development,” he tells Shoutout LA.

Kartez says he previously worked with the City of Los Angeles “helping run an emergency homeless shelter at the Hollywood recreation center.”

He adds that he began writing and drawing a diary-like art piece based on what he observed at work, and then started a business self-publishing the comics. “I think that it connected with a lot of people because it was raw and honest. It also documented a point in time that brought out both the best and worst of our communities in Los Angeles.”