In the first of our Alum Spotlights on Second Nature, we speak with University Professor and Chair of the Department of Photography & Imaging at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, Dr. Deborah Willis. Dr. Willis graduated from the Cultural Studies program in 2000 and ever since, she's been a trailblazer in the arts, focusing her work on Black iconography, photographers, and issues with the archive. Dr. Willis released The Black Civil War Soldier: A Visual History of Conflict and Citizenship this year through New York University Press. In this interview, we discuss Dr. Willis' body of work at-large as well as lessons she gained from being in the program.