Gulliver alumnus Kadja Klarreich-Giglio ’09 is an artist whose work was recently featured for the first time in a solo exhibition at the Perrine Community House in Palmetto Bay! Read on to learn more about his career path, a true journey of exploration and discovery, and how Gulliver helped plant a seed to eventually pursue art professionally. Also browse more of his artwork online.
What have you been up to since graduating from Gulliver?
I went on to graduate from Santa Clara University with a BS in mechanical engineering and worked as an engineer in Miami for a couple of years before heading back to California to run a cannabis biomass processing facility. Several years later, I returned to Miami and pivoted from cannabis, to hemp, where I worked on collecting data from cutting-edge cultivation systems and learned more about agronomy. My experience with cultivation led me to working on a rooftop-to-restaurant gardening project in the Miami Design District. Serendipitously, I worked directly with a former Gulliver classmate in each of those projects. And after the pandemic brought the world to a halt, that’s when I began painting. But the best day of my life was when I married my wife, last year. We currently live with our dog, Kimbo, in Miami and it is thanks to her and her unwavering support that I have the opportunity to pursue the arts.
How did your time at Gulliver help you grow as an artist and help fuel your passion?
When I started my freshman year at Gulliver, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do when I was older. I was really a kinesthetic and visual learner so when my advisor, Adriana Muñoz, suggested I try Claude Charron’s Project Lead the Way engineering program, I thought it was a perfect fit – I could develop my problem-solving skills and get to use my hands to create. Those courses gave me a framework for thinking and challenged me to design with purpose. I loved it so much that I decided to get an engineering degree in college.
The thing is, ever since I was in elementary school, I liked to draw and sketch in pencil. If I hadn’t taken the engineering classes at Gulliver, I would have taken architecture classes because I liked to draw and design. Sometimes, instead of taking notes in class, I would draw in my notebooks. Ironically, the only art class that I’ve ever taken in my life was Deborah Woodham’s drawing class my sophomore year. For me, that drawing class was an escape from the physical constraints that engineering is bound to and it allowed me the freedom to connect with my childhood self. It was my therapy, and my homework assignments didn’t feel like homework. My pencil became a symbol of controlled comfort because I could focus on drawing and I could also erase any part that I didn’t like. Even though I would rarely draw or create any artwork for the following twelve years, those formative years I spent at Gulliver planted a seed of belief and confidence in my own abilities.
Share more about how you’ve shared your artwork so far.
Although my exhibition at the Perrine Community House was my first solo show, I also participated in a curated exhibition at the Victory Black Box Theatre in the fall of 2024. I only started painting during the lockdown era of the pandemic and that was a fluke: my then-girlfriend, now wife, suggested we try new activities to pass the time and bought a set of paints. Just as I had treated my pencil as a form of therapy, I began to use my brush as another means to escape. It took me a couple of years to realize that painting was more than a hobby and that I needed to nurture and pursue art more seriously. This paradigm shift meant that I could no longer essentially just paint in my cave.
How has your education at Gulliver supported your life’s goals and dreams?
When I think of the education I received at Gulliver, I think of the teachers, faculty, and staff who put their effort and care into helping me develop into a critically thinking adult. I don’t think I appreciated all of their efforts enough back then. Some classes weren’t so easy for me because, if I wasn’t interested in a subject, it was probably difficult to keep me engaged as a student. So, as an adult, I look back and really appreciate the teachers who didn’t give up on me and kept trying whenever I struggled, like Craig Thompson taking a personal interest in my success.
I’m grateful for Gulliver’s broad curriculum because there were so many interesting classes to take. I loved my engineering classes so much that it inspired me to pursue engineering after I graduated. I enjoyed engineering because Mr. Charron made learning fun and did a great job at keeping me engaged. I also had an amazing advisor in Dr. Muñoz who helped guide me through high school all the way to college.
I also learned a lot outside of the classroom, especially playing football. Coaches don’t just manage a team – they are leaders, teachers and mentors to their players, and I had incredible coaches. I’ve spoken to many of my former teammates over the years and we’ve all agreed that our coaches, especially Coach Sims, helped shape our character, resilience, and discipline. Just like our teachers, they cared if we succeeded and felt responsible for our development so they made sure we were taking advantage of the academic resources at Gulliver and that we weren’t falling behind in class.
The life lessons I learned at Gulliver helped prepare me for college and beyond, because through life’s adversity and with support from the staff, I became proficient at perseverance.
What is next for you?
Since I’ve had my solo exhibition, I am no longer in my proverbial cave. My art is out in the world so I am working on different opportunities and finding creative ways to share my artwork with more people. Looking ahead, I will be represented by Mundo Arte Gallery, an international gallery with locations in North Miami Beach and Medellín, Colombia.
Artistically, I am always working on creating different pieces that reflect my curiosity and current interests. In a sense, I’m exploring and learning with each painting. Right now, I’m working on my Moonlight Portrait series, which is my first true painting series. It is a collection of figurative art painted in an expressive style that I developed and that I’m really excited about because it’s completely different from my other artwork. Once that’s completed, I will likely shift my focus onto something completely different. I like to change my methods and subject matter often because it helps keep me invigorated through my creative process.
What advice would you give other Gulliver students and alumni after you?
As cliché as it may sound, life is rarely a straight line. You might already have a clear vision of your future—or you might still be figuring things out. Either way, that’s okay. When you do discover what drives you, pursue it boldly and without fear of failure. But know this: if you ever pivot, stumble, or even fall short of your initial goals, do not view those moments as defeats.
Every setback is an invitation to grow. Life has a way of reshaping our paths, and the truth is, goals evolve—often for reasons beyond our control. What matters most is how you respond when things don’t go as planned. The obstacles you face aren’t roadblocks; they’re stepping stones, tailor-made to challenge and strengthen you. What may feel like failure in the moment often becomes the very experience that prepares you for future success.
And perhaps most importantly: follow what you love. Many people I know ended up in careers or places that look nothing like what they originally envisioned—and they’re just as fulfilled, if not more so, than those who stayed the course. The common thread among them is not a straight path, but passion. They’ve aligned what they do with what they care about. That’s where real success lies—not just in achieving goals, but in finding meaning along the way.
So give yourself permission to explore, to change, and to grow. Wherever you end up, let it be somewhere that excites you!
