August 07, 2023
Meghan O’Toole
David Gueringer ’13 uses his interdisciplinary edge to uplift diverse stories
Equipped with a double major in economics and music and years of teaching experience, David Gueringer ’13 is leveraging his skills as an entrepreneur to make diverse stories accessible.
Gueringer has spent the past ten years of his career teaching. Starting out with City Year, Gueringer then began work with Guitars Over Guns, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering young people through music and mentorship. On the side, however, Gueringer worked on freelance sound design and composing, a skill he picked up at Lake Forest College.
As a student Gueringer was known for staying in the composing labs late into the night until Public Safety had to ask him to return to his dorm. It was during those sessions that he gained the essential skills he uses in his freelance audio projects while also cultivating his passion.
Gueringer’s passion for music and accessibility have led him to help create audio comics and motion comics. Audio comics are purely audio, similar to podcasts or audio dramas, that include music, sound effects, and a cast of professional voice actors. For these projects, good sound design is crucial to creating an immersive experience for listeners.
“I love that we can use sound to help more people enjoy stories.”
“I am visually impaired, so it can be difficult for me to read, and bringing audio into storytelling makes it much more accessible,” Gueringer said. “A friend and I did an audio comic for Mr. Guy, and we got a letter from someone who was visually impaired. It wasn’t until she got the audio that she got to really experience what was going on in the story. I love that we can use sound to help more people enjoy stories.”
The stories Gueringer works on typically focus on diversity and uplifting traditionally marginalized perspectives.
“I definitely like working on projects where there is a holistic message: a lesson to be learned, something that inspires critical thinking, and stories with diverse perspectives,” he said.
Gueringer’s double major has been an asset throughout his career, but is especially helpful in his entrepreneurial pursuits as he blends his creative nature with analytical skills.
“Oftentimes you hear with artists, you have all the art skills but not the business skills, but that was not the case for me,” Gueringer said. “Studying economics is not the same as majoring in business, but you can take the theory and put it into practice. Economics is understanding how to quantify the value of what you’re creating. We are succeeding because of these interdisciplinary skills put into practice.”
Gueringer also find that his education experience helps him build strong teams and connect with others.
“I felt like I was really able to be seen and find mentors at Lake Forest College,” Gueringer said. “The financial aid was excellent. I grew up in an extremely poor neighborhood, and I never would have been able to imagine where I went to school. It didn't feel like there was a huge class difference at Lake Forest; it was mind-opening to see so many different experiences. I am able to do the work I do today because I am able to work with people from so many different walks of life.”
For a closer look at Gueringer’s work and a demo of the card game he's working on, visit his Linktree.