What started as a work study position in the costume shop of her university’s theatre department has propelled Melissa Penkava Koza’s sewing hobby into guiding the next generation of costume creators.

Penkava Koza, who was recently promoted to assistant teaching professor of design and technical theatre at Wichita State University, always enjoyed helping others grow and sharing her passion. So for her, it seemed like the natural evolution to work in higher education.

“I’ve always known I would be an educator,” Penkava Koza said. “But after connecting with my mentors in undergrad, it was clear that working in costuming would allow me to apply the skills I loved in a way that could be transformative to not only the performers, but the technicians and the industry at large.”

Initially pursuing a degree in music education at Bowling Green State University, Penkava Koza received her Master of Fine Arts in theatrical design and production from the University of Memphis. Currently, she also manages the costume shop in the School of Performing Arts in the College of Fine Arts, where she oversees the costume needs for all shows produced in the school.

Her students finished production on “Twelfth Night” by William Shakespeare in the fall, and their next large productions will be later this spring, including “Spring Awakening” Feb. 20-23 and the school’s Spring Dance Concert April 24-27.

In addition to her role at Wichita State, Penkava Koza also works for Music Theatre Wichita as seasonal head of costumes and costume coordinator and designer. She was the costume designer for “Mirette” in 2021 and coordinated costumes for “GYPSY” earlier this year in the summer.

“I absolutely love it and I'm incredibly grateful to be able to do what I’m passionate about at a professional level during the summers while living at home with my family,” she said. “Most professionals in my industry aren't so lucky.”

She says that keeping her foot in the door to the industry helps her guide students on the issues and trends in the industry, making sure they are always on the cutting edge of theater production.

It also helps her develop connections and find applied learning opportunities between her students and local companies.

“One of the biggest ways we contribute is by preparing and encouraging our students to get involved and work collaboratively,” she said. “In the School of Performing Arts, we're big on nurturing curiosity and giving our students the opportunity to fail in a safe environment — because making mistakes is one of the best ways to learn what works and what doesn’t.”

At the end of the day, what ultimately matters to Penkava Koza is leaving an impact on her students and the community. She hopes to see the paid applied learning opportunities available to students continue to grow and be integrated directly into the curriculum so they can learn what is and isn’t appropriate for industry work.

“Hopefully by teaching our students to establish appropriate boundaries we can continue to combat burnout in an industry that’s too often marred by unpaid and underpaid labor,” she said.

---

Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 23,000 students between its main campus and WSU Tech, including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation driven.

Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students.

The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.

Follow Wichita State on social media:

• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• YouTube
• X | Twitter
• Facebook