From Survivor to Storyteller: Carroll Graphic Design Student Builds Worlds, Starting With His Own
Whether in a sketchbook or on a computer screen, graphic design student Yihan Machado brings to life characters who don’t quite fit in—but never give up. His art reflects years of resilience and imagination, qualities shaped by a childhood that tested his courage and a lifelong search for belonging.
Today he’s channeling that same creativity and love of storytelling to sketch out a future in comics and graphic design, work that reflects his own journey of finding his purpose and where he fits in best.
From Surviving to Thriving
Born in China, Yihan survived a devastating fire at just nine months old. “According to the stories, I was in a crib and there was a candle standing on a desk that fell on top of me and burned about 70% of my body,” Yihan related. “Because my biological parents couldn’t take care of me with all the medical bills, they had to drop me off on an orphanage, which is how I ended up here in America.”
Adopted by a Maryland couple with two adopted daughters, Yihan grew up homeschooled near Gettysburg. “When my parents first saw me on a blog listing adoptees, they figured it’d be very hard for me to get adopted,” he said. “Growing up they knew how much hardship there would be. They told me that they just fell in love with me. They’ve managed to get me this far, and I’m inspired by them every day.”
Over the years—and through more than 30 surgeries—Yihan learned what true resilience meant. Art became more than a pastime; it was a lifeline. “Having to deal with the pain, I needed some sort of distraction,” Yihan said. “Absorbing creative and inspiring media were my main forms for that. So all that paired with my surgeries taught me a lot about how to be brave.”
Drawing Strength from Stories
During his long recoveries from surgery, Yihan often turned to stories for comfort and inspiration. Japanese manga in particular, such as Naruto and Bleach, opened his imagination to new worlds and new possibilities.
“They’re called shonen,” he explained, “which is basically a genre where it follows one character going through a large adventure, meeting different characters, starting out weak and becoming strong.”
Yihan is now creating worlds of his own. The story he’s developing revolves around a character named Synopher, a childish, cartoon-like being that struggles to belong no matter where he goes. “Kind of like me when I was growing up,” Yihan said.
Yihan has published his work on Webtoon, a platform where artists can combine visuals and sound to create immersive digital storytelling. “It’s basically a comic website that allows you to attach music, animations, and comic panels,” he explained. Recently, he began also posting his videos on his YouTube channel.
The project has become deeply personal, an artistic reflection of identity, acceptance, and transformation. “I think my story can be very inspirational,” he said. “I want that to influence other kids to grow up to be the best they can be and learn lessons through stories.”
They create a community that makes you feel very integrated into it. I think Carroll is a really fun college that just brings people together and creates an environment that’s unforgettable.
Discovering Community at Carroll
Although he had dually enrolled at another school and debated about staying there, Yihan ultimately chose Carroll Community College after attending one of their Open Houses. Walking onto Carroll’s campus for the first time, he immediately noticed something different.
“Everybody wanted to talk to me and get to know me,” he remembered. “It just felt like such a welcoming community.”
Yihan is now a Graphic Design student at Carroll. Beyond his studies, he found ways to become part of the campus community by joining groups like the Chess Club and the PTK Leadership team. On the Leadership team, he was able to work with the stellar students and staff who planned events on campus. As the team’s public relations chair, he not only contributed to making the plans, but he also actively designed posters to advertise them.
Yihan has also found friends through the Pappalardo honors program. “It really helped me become very social,” he said. “Growing up homeschooled, it was very hard for me to make friends. Now I have a study group that I can rely on every day and that actually opened up a network for me that I never knew I could have. That was one of the biggest things for me.”
Building Toward Big Dreams
Advisors and professors have helped him map a future beyond Carroll. One notable example is learning about the University of Baltimore from his advisor, Jen Wheeler. He applied and was accepted there with a full tuition scholarship. “That’s really going to let me build my future,” he said. “And I wouldn’t have known about it if my advisor at Carroll hadn’t pointed it out.”
“They’re always pushing you to do one more thing, which, me being an overachiever, I love,” Yihan continued. “I just try to combine my talents, and my teachers see that and encourage it.”
After Carroll, Yihan plans to go to University of Baltimore to pursue an interdisciplinary major, which allows you to study three different fields. “I’m going to do Psychology, Digital Communication, and Game Design,” Yihan said. “In the future, after my creative endeavors, I think I want to be a therapist.”
Yihan has begun mentoring others. Last year, he interned at a preschool as an assistant teacher. “I planned a lot of the activities on my own, and I helped those kids by being able to convey my knowledge to them.”
This summer, he also plans to return to a camp for burn survivors that he attended when he was younger, but this time as a camp counselor or event runner. “The camp was a big part of my upbringing, because it taught me that I’m not alone,” he shared. “Kind of like Carroll, but in a different sense obviously.”
A Great Place to Grow
Reflecting on his time at Carroll, Yihan sums it up: “They create a community that makes you feel very integrated into it. I think Carroll is a really fun college that just brings people together and creates an environment that’s unforgettable.”
Indeed, the College has been a place that’s helped Yihan build fortitude, friendships, and a future. Through his creative journey as a Graphic Design student and growing confidence as an artist, Yihan has begun inspiring others by sharing his story.
“I just want to be an inspirational person for people,” he said. “I think Carroll has helped me start doing that.”
