Alumna returns from Netherlands

Alumna applies her creative skills in the Netherlands

by René Rentería

Alumna Paige Ross began growing her creative business, Ross Digital Expressions, when she graduated from Washburn in 2010. Her move to the Netherlands in June 2018 did not keep her from working with existing clients and pulling in new ones, all while adjusting to an entirely new culture and language.

“We submerged ourselves into Dutch language, learning right when we landed,” said Ross.

Ross’ time overseas did not completely revolve around design.

“I started teaching English to people that did not know English but wanted to go to university in the Netherlands,” said Ross. “We were both outsiders in that culture, so I really connected with them,” said Ross.

At the same time, the increase in new, home-based businesses created a demand for graphic design work. Ross produced three dozen illustrations alongside a nutritionist for a Dutch food magazine as one project.

After spending two and a half years in the Netherlands, the family felt called to return to Kansas in March 2021.

Ross is starting a new chapter in her career after she accepted a position for a production artist at Advisors Excel. “I’m looking forward to what life is going to be like at Advisors Excel. I’ll get way more experience than I would have just on my own… I’ll be working in an environment where we can bounce ideas off of each other,” said Ross. Ross’s older brother, Thad Lockard, also a mass media alumnus, is the chief printovator for Kalos Print Services, and he also has his own freelance business called Integritty.

“Paige is very good at self-teaching,” said Lockard. “She’s not afraid to try different things, and she’s not afraid to do things as she learns.”

Ross switched her major from education to mass media after being inspired by Lockard.

“I kind of followed his footsteps in a lot of things,” says Ross. “I would just watch him work and it was just so fascinating to me.”

Lockard has encouraged Ross to value her work and be selective in the projects she accepts, especially when time is limited.

photos and graphics courtesy Paige Ross Paige (Lockard) Ross shows off her design work for a Dutch food magazine, a project she worked on while living in the Netherlands. She and her husband, Charlie, are back in Kansas with their three boys, Michah, Ivan and Seaver, after spending two years and eight months oversees.