What started as a work study position in the costume shop of her university’s theater department has propelled Melissa Penkava Koza’s sewing hobby into guiding the next generation of costume creators.
Penkava Koza, who was recently promoted to assistant teaching professor of design and technical theatre at Wichita State, always enjoyed helping others grow and sharing her passion. So for her, it seemed like the natural evolution to work in higher education.
“I’ve always known I would be an educator,” Penkava Koza said. “But after connecting with my mentors in undergrad, it was clear that working in costuming would allow me to apply the skills I loved in a way that could be transformative to not only the performers, but the technicians and the industry at large.”