Nicole Gray met Sue Steele Thomas when enrolling in the Visual Design program at Virginia Western Community College. Since then, “Professor Sue was always in my corner” Gray says. “Sue seems to live for art. Outside of teaching, she has had an impressive career as an artist.”

Thomas was a contributing illustrator for Road and Track magazine for 16 years, navigating the male-dominated profession in the early 90’s. She is currently teaching fine arts at Patrick Henry High School.

Gray graduated from VWCC in 2021 and works as a massage therapist, using her artistic abilities to aid her friends, family, and church.