The first time I heard about Alis Sandalova, someone described her as one of the “new design talents on campus.” It was a year after my graduation from AUBG, and my interactions with students were mostly outside the classroom. Alis’s name kept popping up in discussions with mutual friends. By chance, our paths crossed a few times, and over time, I began to see how much she was contributing to the community.
Before she graduated and became Art Director at the alumni-founded creative agency handplayed., we marked the end of her AUBG journey as we sat down for an honest conversation about her growth, the lessons learned, and what AUBG truly meant to her.
“I was a little shy kid when I came. But over four years, I’ve become more confident, less anxious, and much more open to people and ideas. It’s like I’ve packed ten years of life into four.”
Her first year at AUBG was marked by a challenge none of us could have anticipated—a global pandemic. While many students chose to study remotely, Alis stayed on campus. For her, it was a chance to connect deeply with a small group of peers.
“We would gather in the radio station—a place where COVID didn’t seem to exist. It became our social hub during isolation.”
These early connections became pivotal, as Radio AURA was her first club and a moment that predefined her AUBG experience.
Alis’s passion for creativity bloomed at AUBG, though not without challenges. Initially drawn to fine arts, she discovered that the program didn’t align with her vision. Instead, she turned to Journalism and Mass Communication, where she found opportunities to explore digital storytelling and design. While classes helped her develop her creative thinking, it was her involvement in student clubs like Radio Aura and More Honors that allowed her to put theory into practice.
“By my second year, I actually started to love the major. Meeting prominent professors and taking classes that made me think deeply about the field helped me realize—this was my jam.”
She also found inspiration in her peers’ work. For Alis, student showcases were a space to share creativity, set bold ideas in motion, and raise the bar.
“It’s a great place to promote each other’s work and get ideas. It’s the place to see how bold you can be.”
The freedom provided by her assignments often felt like a double-edged sword. But it was within this challenge that Alis found growth. For instance, she took on her first animation project for an assignment that didn’t even require it. “It was my first time animating, editing, and recording my own voice.”
“It’s those little personal challenges you put yourself into that really make you explore the depths of your interests, talents, and skills. AUBG gives you that room to experiment and create.”
This hunger for experimentation led her to declare a Self-Designed Major (SDM) in filmmaking. By combining courses from JMC with her personal ambitions, she created a path her own. Even though AUBG lacked structured film production classes at the time, she persevered with the support of mentors and peers.
“When you see people put in effort, you want to live up to that standard.”
She referred to the Motorgrad documentary created by Yenlik O’Neill and Victor Kharyton, for their JMC Capstone project. “It was the first time students did such a big production for Capstone. After many students created their own unique projects, all inspired by those two students who were bold enough to do something ambitious.”
“It’s beautiful to see people get inspired and want to make things.”
As we talked, it became clear that Alis’s time at AUBG wasn’t just about academics or extracurriculars—it was a journey of self-discovery and transformation. Reflecting on her experience, she expressed gratitude for the opportunities and challenges that shaped her.
“Radio Aura and More Honors made my experience special. Without them, it would’ve been bland, just as regular as anyone else’s.”
To wrap up the conversation, I asked her to give a piece of advice to future students.
“Be bold and experiment. There’s nothing scary about trying new things.”
Alis’s journey into the professional world began while she was still at AUBG, where she took on an internship with the AUBG Office of Marketing and Communications. This was followed by a design internship at the creative agency proof., where she explored the complexities of branding and visual storytelling. By her final year, Alis was already making her impact as an illustrator for the Cappabl. project, as part of her part-time job in the alumni-founded creative agency, handplayed., the very company where she would later become Art Director. Each step in her professional path reflected her growing confidence and creative ambition, seamlessly blending with the skills and experiences she gained on campus.
