Tracy Gonia ‘88 followed in the footsteps of her sister, Kelly Gonia ’86, in many ways—attending St. Ursula Academy, playing volleyball, and even working at the same restaurants and video store. At SUA, Tracy played basketball for two years, volleyball for four, and served as sophomore class president. She also had a strong interest in art, shaped in part by Mrs. Holt’s famously high standards, “you couldn’t get 100% because her eyes weren’t perfect enough to judge perfect work.” Tracy dreamed of becoming an artist, but her dad encouraged her to pursue a career that would support her financially and keep art a passion.

That advice stuck. Encouraged by beloved chemistry teacher Sister Mary Jean Crumb, affectionately known as “Sister Chemistry,” Tracy pursued Paper Science and Engineering at Miami University. Sister Chemistry wrote her college recommendation letters and believed in her ability to succeed in the sciences. Tracy went on to spend seven years in the chemical industry, then 18 years at a global inkjet printer company. Along the way, she earned her MBA.

Through it all, Tracy never stopped making art. At night and on weekends, she poured her creativity into projects culminating in a massive, recycled bottle cap mosaic that took a year to complete. “I saw something similar in a magazine in 2009 and couldn’t stop thinking about it,” she said. That's when I started saving bottle caps myself and asked my friends to do the same.

Now at a career crossroads, Tracy is focusing on creating art from recycled materials. “There’s a place for every bottle cap in my work,” she says. “I love the idea of turning something discarded into something beautiful.”

If you'd like to support her next piece, she welcomes clean bottle cap donations at her P.O. Box:

Tracy Gonia
2114 Main Street Suite 100, #122
Vancouver, WA 98660

Her next two projects are already underway—and she can’t wait to bring them to life.