Alumni Spotlight: Kiersten (Kiki) Pape and Ellyana Wills

If you picked up the November 2025 issue of Neighbors of Bloomfield Hills magazine, you would have seen author Kiki Pape and illustrator Ellyana Wills on the cover holding a copy of their book, "The Worry Wags", a children’s book featuring a dog that focuses on emotional well-being. Both are graduates of Bloomfield Hills High School’s Class of 2021, and their shared creative passions and long-lasting friendship helped to create a source of comfort for young readers.

The idea for "The Worry Wags" took root while Pape was studying creative writing at the University of Colorado Boulder. Once a shy child who wrestled with anxiety herself, Pape wanted to normalize worry and offer young readers simple, compassionate ways to cope. When it came time to bring the story to life with illustration, Wills was the perfect creative partner, herself a graphic design student at Loyola University Chicago.

Pape and Wills became friends at a young age, as classmates at Way Elementary School. “We’re both really creative people, so we kind of gravitated toward each other,” said Pape. Wills showed an early passion for art and always envisioned herself as an artist, while Pape’s love of writing emerged a bit later. In fact, Pape struggled with reading as an elementary student, and now credits the staff at Way for helping her overcome those challenges. 

Later on in high school, BHHS teachers Kathleen Small and Vanessa Rose were particularly encouraging to Pape, helping her develop a passion for writing. “I didn’t have a ton of confidence, but these teachers steered me in the right direction,” she recalled. For Wills, middle school art teacher Jacquelynne Alizadeh as well as BHHS art teachers Peg Pasternak and Tessa Basirico were particularly impactful. “They were so inspiring to me, and I remember them being very supportive,” said Wills, sharing that graphic design and digital art were her favorite classes at BHHS. 

Currently, Wills is a graphic designer for Ghafari Associates and continues to create art in her spare time. Pape is a Brand Voice Strategist with Detroit Promotions, and occasionally visits classrooms to read The Worry Wags, helping students to navigate emotions and reminding them that even if reading is a struggle at first, don’t give up - it can “click” later on. Together, their friendship, collaboration, and creativity are an inspiration to the community, and we are proud to call them former Black Hawks! 

More information about "The Worry Wags" can be found at https://www.theworrywags.com/.