Storyteller, artist and computer engineer are just a few ways Jai Devine ’24 describes themself. Overcoming the belief that they had to fit within one box to be successful pushed Devine to Kickstart and publish their own queer comic book while pursuing their passion for computer science.

Devine began their degree in computer science at TU after transferring from a college in New Rochelle, New York. Originally interested in video game development, Devine sought out the TU Honors College to individualize their degree path.

“I saw how many opportunities honors college students had at my previous school, and I wanted to be part of that.”

They pursued two independent studies for Honors College credit, one in the realm of computer science and the other in art.

Devine’s undergraduate research explored how AI machine learning tools exhibit biases toward people of color. They recognized the importance of identifying biases in innovations like AI and wanted to better understand how these issues arose and could be addressed.

However, fearing burnout and wanting to preserve the love they had for computer science, Devine switched their focus to artistic storytelling.

The Making of a Comic Book

In their senior year, they conducted a second independent study project, this time focused on narrative storytelling through a comic book.

“I wanted to go back to my roots as a creative person,” Devine says. “I like to look at this comic book as a version of a queer thesis.”

On Trans Remembrance Day in 2023, Devine was inspired by the artwork they saw at a vigil on campus and decided they wanted to create a comic book following their experiences as a queer person in Baltimore. Thus “Alternative Baltimore #1: Headlines are Half the Story” was born.

Issue 1 centers around main character Jai as they learn about local drag queen Divine, the underrepresented stories and experiences in Baltimore and how the media impacts them.

As part of their independent study, Devine worked closely with professor Amanda Burnham in the College of Fine Arts & Communication to refine their narrative storytelling and artistic interests. The two met in Burnham's Honors College seminar "The Art of the Graphic Memoir."

"Jai blew me away with their intellect and passionate engagement with social justice issues, which were the foundation of their interest in pursuing this project. Jai not only has a compelling personal story to tell but also the awareness, ambition, and research chops to connect that story to a much more global one," says Burnham.

"I was fascinated to watch as Jai connected the dots between all of the things they care about, and built the tools to tell these important stories with considerable courage."

Garnering Support

With support from Burnham and friends, Devine shared their proposal on Kickstarter to get the comic book off the ground. With 30 days to meet their crowdfunding goal, Devine reached it in 15, and, as a result, Kickstarter shared their project on the site’s main page to further promote it.

“It feels amazing. I see the work, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I did that.’ The books are physically here and bound,” says Devine.

You don’t have to choose between those two passions. I am able to be successful as a computer scientist and an artist

JAI DEVINE

The project garnered upward of 37 national and international backers and exceeded their goal, which enabled Devine to work with Baltimore-area printers to produce physical copies and with Comixology for digital downloads.

Breaking the Mold

Reflecting on their dual pursuits, Devine recalls a time before graduating high school when a teacher found out they would be going to their first college for computer science.

The teacher shamed Devine for attending a fine arts school if they weren’t going to college for art— a moment Devine has carried with them for a long time.

“You’re fed this idea that ‘real’ artists just do art. ‘Real’ computer scientists and engineers just program—that that’s your whole life. So I feel really vindicated when I see the comic,” says Devine.

Devine is continuing to pursue their love for engineering as an associate software engineer for CVS Health in New York where they focus on engineer experience. In their role they build software that other engineers use to build their software, something Devine describes as requiring an eye for design.

They are proving that you can break the mold and do both.

“You don’t have to choose between those two passions. I am able to be successful as a computer scientist and an artist,” Devine says. 

Tags: Alumni, Careers, College of Fine Arts and Communication, Fisher College of Science and Mathematics, Honors College, People