Hannah Caisse

Hannah Caisse was born and raised in Santa Cruz, California, and she developed a love for nature at a very early age. Surrounded by the ocean and redwood forests, she was inspired by all of the creatures that were her neighbors. She began to draw as a child, depicting both real and imagined animals in crayon and colored pencil. As time progressed, her fascination with science grew, and her artistic abilities also flourished. She attended the University of California, Santa Cruz, and as she worked to achieve her Bachelor of Science degree in Evolution and Ecology Biology, she was also determined to incorporate scientific illustration into her coursework. A turning point came when she applied and was accepted into a scientific illustration independent study course that was offered at her university’s natural history center, the Norris Center. This experience was instrumental in her decision to pursue scientific illustration as a career, revealing that she could combine her two passions, science and illustration, into a single profession.
After graduation, Hannah vigorously built up a formidable portfolio for her application to CSUMB’s Scientific Illustration Graduate program, an opportunity that she knew would place her on a trajectory to her dream career. When she received her acceptance, it was a moment she would never forget. Not only is she overjoyed with the privilege of enrolling in this program, she is also honored to receive this scholarship from the Tentacles and Wings foundation. She hopes to grow, progress, and take every new opportunity thrown her way in this wonderful experience, knowing that Marie Siegenthaler was not able to do so.
With this scholarship, Hannah hopes to purchase new art materials for the program, including a new digital tablet. In her graduate program, she hopes to create visualizations of science that can be accessed by the general public, generating a greater understanding of the natural world and modern science. View more of Hannah’s work here.