On his first day of work at Los Medanos College, Print Shop Manager Justin Nogarr was hit with a rush of nostalgia from his time as a student.

But it wasn’t on his original life path. After graduating from high school, he was split on joining the military or working in construction with his brother. 

“It was the smartest choice I could have made at that time!” Nogarr said.

Nogarr’s decision to attend LMC was inspired by his parents, friends, and his brother who had each taken classes and advised him to give the college a chance. 

“LMC gave me two things that prepared me for transfer: a more solid general education and a foundation in Graphic Communications.” Nogarr said.

He learned computer literacy, basic design skills, theoretical knowledge, and built a portfolio for his Graphic Communications major that opened the door to the Department of Design at California State University in Sacramento, where he transferred and received his Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design in 2002.

Nogarr also had mentors that helped choose his Graphic Communication major. Those people include: Ken Alexander, Curtis Corlew, and Rebeca Talley. 

After taking a break from school to focus on working in the printing and photography fields in Sacramento and the Bay Area – including at LMC – he returned to school and received his Master of Arts in Industrial Arts at San Francisco State University in 2011.

Then, he decided to get a Master’s in Business Administration to give him a better understanding in managing LMC’s Print Shop. He received his degree in 2014. This decision built on knowledge about management, organizational leadership, accounting, economics, and business in general.

“All of these paths for me are a bit out of sync and not perfectly connected, but they have all led me back to the arts – where my mind and senses are always reinvigorated.” Nogarr said.

Nogarr also teaches an art class at LMC that was his first class he took at LMC after graduating from High School: ART-005, The Visual Arts. It is an interdisciplinary course that focuses on the creative process.

During the pandemic, when the print shop was much less busy, Nogarr also started working at Diablo Valley College as the Sculpture Studio Coordinator, he said. This was a recent job addition to his schedule that connects to his interest in 3-D art and he is becoming reacquainted with the skillset he learned from his time at San Francisco State University.

The one quote he said that inspires him the most was said by the Theoretical Physicist Albert Einstein who said, “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”