As we grow up, we often find inspiration in those closest to us. Our worlds are shaped by the people who raise us, and we follow in their footsteps—admiring the heroes they are in our eyes and hoping to be just like them one day. For Kailey Rubalcaba, BFA ’18, that inspiration came from her grandmother.
Inez Ojeda, BA ’75 was overcome with joy when she learned her daughter was expecting a girl. This would be Ojeda’s very first granddaughter, and she couldn’t wait to see who this child would grow up to be. Ojeda hoped her granddaughter would follow her and her daughter’s paths as teachers, but little did she know her life as an artist would be the road her granddaughter chose—leading them both to become UIW alumni with degrees in the arts.
Growing up, Rubalcaba remembers her grandmother playing how-to VHS tapes of Bob Ross for her and her brother during their visits. When it wasn’t Bob Ross, it was art specials on KLRN or workshops hosted by the Alamo Decorative Arts Association. These experiences helped Rubalcaba shape her interest in the arts, and as she grew older, she realized photography was where her passion lay. Ojeda encouraged her granddaughter to dive deeper into these new interests and even provided her with a digital camera to begin her journey.
Rubalcaba recalls the beauty in her grandmother’s backyard, and through her walks there, her love for photography grew. It was her grandmother’s passion for the arts that allowed Rubalcaba’s own to flourish. Ojeda often brought her to art exhibits, and it was there that Rubalcaba began dreaming of one day displaying her own photographs in a gallery. Fast forward to today, Ojeda and Rubalcaba’s art can be found side by side in the World to World alumni exhibit at the Kelso Art Center, on display until September 5, 2025.
On the opening day of the World to World exhibit, three generations of women from this family gathered for an unforgettable evening. After retiring as an art teacher at Holmes High School, Ojeda began teaching art classes for senior citizens at St. Matthew’s Church, where her mother, Mary, was a student. During a class trip to a peach orchard in Fredericksburg, Ojeda captured a photo of her mother picking peaches. That photo later inspired one of Ojeda’s paintings, now displayed at the Kelso Art Center. On opening day, Ojeda and Rubalcaba were able to share the moment in honor of Ojeda’s late mother and Rubalcaba’s late great-grandmother.
Ojeda graduated from UIW in 1975 with a BA double major in Spanish and Art, while Rubalcaba graduated in 2018 as one of the first students to earn a
BFA in Commercial Photography.
