First-gen artist David Legrand ’23

David Legrand '23 discovered his passion for art serendipitously when, at the age of 21, he enrolled in HUEH (part of the State University of Haiti) as a sociology major. David recalls doodling during lectures. He drew his classmates’ faces and hands, his professors, and whatever captured his roving attention.

“I don't remember what the title of that class was,” he admits. “I never paid attention because I was putting more attention into what I was doing.”

His pencil sketches elicited positive feedback, and even his professor suggested that he consider pursuing art.

Fast forward eight years to today: David graduated in 2023 with a BFA from the Cornell College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, and he’s a second-year MFA student at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). He received generous scholarship assistance from Cornell, which enabled him to attend and pursue his artistic dreams. After graduation, David won a highly competitive full scholarship to RISD as a Presidential Fellow, a program to recruit RISD’s “most sought-after students.”

David is now preparing for his first solo exhibition in Basel, Switzerland, in 2025, and his professors believe he has a bright future ahead as a world-class artist.