Rio Alum Kara Dillon Earns Prestigious Assistantship Position at WVU
Article by Marketing and Communications Intern, Laith Hamid 9/9/25
After four years at Rio, recent graduate Kara Dillon was awarded a very competitive assistantship position at West Virginia University where she will be teaching a beginning ceramics course starting fall 2025.
Kara received three degrees during her time at Rio; bachelor's in both art education and studio art in ceramics as well as an associate degree in English. She was also very involved around campus, in which she was an RA, member of the cross-country team, student ambassador and Founder and President of the Art Club.
University of Rio Grande Professor of Arts Kevin Lyles provided his highest praise for Kara and her work ethic, stating that she was “For sure one of the hardest working students I have ever had, there were times I would come in and open the art building at 7:00 in the morning to get the day going and they'll be Kara. She would already be working. And I would say, what time did you start? She'd say 5:30. She was always extremely pleasant to be around, just a joy to have as a student.”
The assistantship position at WVU is highly competitive, with dozens of students applying and only one being accepted. Although unusual for first year graduate students to earn this position, Kara secured the assistantship, overcoming stiff competition despite such roles being awarded to older students. This comes to no surprise for Professor Lyles, who added that “Every assistantship position at any university is competitive, but seeing where Kara is now directly reflects her unique personality and hard work in and out of the classroom.”
When asked whether Kara’s success has any reflection on the Fine Arts program at Rio, Professor Lyles stated “We have had many students go on and earn assistantships or positions at other institutions, but the unique part about our program here at Rio is that we're kind of a family. I definitely consider Kara as family, and that reflects the family atmosphere we have here. It is really unique to come to an institution like Rio and receive the personal attention and care that is atypical at most institutions.”