Joey Kovach (Class of 2024)
Blogger Role: Student Spotlight
Major: Art Therapy
Clubs: National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS)
I chose Marywood because when I first took a tour of campus, I immediately felt at home since everyone I met on campus was so welcoming and friendly. I remember when I visited Marywood for the first time, nearly every single person that I saw on campus said hello. On top of that, the art facilities at Marywood are amazing and I knew that I would have adequate space and resources to create art.
I am majoring in Art because nothing fulfills me more than creating art does. I have a passion for helping others and also for creating, and Art Therapy is the perfect combination of both of those things. Although I entertained a few other majors, Art Therapy was the only one that truly felt right for me and knowing how much art-making has helped me in my life motivates me to want to help others express themselves through art.
When I’m not in class, I’m listening to music, hanging out with friends or binge watching TV shows. My favorite genres of music are R&B and Neo-soul, and I like watching coming of age TV shows. I think it is so important to give yourself a break every now and then to just enjoy yourself, even with the busy schedules that many of us college students have.
So far, my favorite art class at Marywood was Sculpture 1. When making art, I am usually very 2D oriented so any opportunity to work three-dimensionally is exciting since it creates many learning experiences for me. On top of that, I was given a lot of creative freedom with the pieces that I created in that class, and the resources available in the sculpture studio allowed me to fully immerse myself in the creative process for each project. Additionally, I learned many useful skills while taking this class, such as how to weld and solder.
The coolest thing I’ve done at Marywood so far was definitely goat yoga. I love anything that is related to wellness, so I was very excited that I had the opportunity to try yoga since it was something that I had not done before. The yoga portion of the activity was incredibly relaxing for me, and the goats were so adorable and added a fun element to trying yoga for the first time. Since doing this activity, I have begun doing yoga on a regular basis and it is something that I thoroughly enjoy.
When I graduate I would like to work as an art therapist. I want to work with people who may have trouble expressing their emotions verbally and help them to express their emotions through creating art. Specifically, I would like to work with immigrants by helping them work through issues related to acculturation.
I’d recommend the Art program at Marywood because it is a community of support for all who are involved. The professors truly care about their students and help to put each student on the right path in order to succeed. Additionally, the students within the program always support each other’s creative endeavors and are all incredibly encouraging. Lastly, the Insalaco buildiing itself is an incredible space with a plethora of tools that students can utilize while creating art.
