Hello lovelies, I hope you had a nice weekend and I wish each and every one of you good luck on any finals you may be taking or have taken this week. I cannot believe how fast time has flown by, because not only is this my last blog post before I graduate, but this is also my last finals week. It is somewhat bittersweet, and I am excited about the new adventure that is waiting for me, but I am going to miss the community that Marywood has gifted me. I remember when I was a little girl running around the college campus, taking pictures with a disposable camera during a program called College for Kids (which they should bring back by the way). Now as I am typing this last blog post, I get a bit teary-eyed because, after Wednesday, I will no longer be a student but an alum. It is hard to think about how fast the past four years have flown by. It seems like just yesterday I was a freshman moving on to campus, being a sophomore and walking into my first graphic design class, being a junior and having portfolio reviews, and being a senior featuring my work in a show. If I had to leave one piece of corny over said advice before I leave to any student reading this, or really anyone reading this, its that every moment, memory, inconvenience, breakdown, and failure lead to where you are right now, who you are right now. In those moments or those memories, the value may be fogged over, but once you have a chance to step back, and put that pen or pencil down for the final time. You will realize it was all worth it.

I want to say I am incredibly thankful for those at Marywood who helped me get to where I am today. I want to thank Chris Medley for working with my busy life schedule and helping me plan and re-plan my four years at Marywood and helping me expand my designs further than I could have possibly imagined. 

I want to thank John Meza for teaching me the importance of getting a project done on time, and teaching me to stand by my work, even if it was mediocre. He was a tough professor, but taught me a lot and made me a better designer because he did not let you settle. If your work can be improved, he would not sugar coat it in the slightest, but tell you where to make improvements so your designs could be the best that they can be.

I want to thank Steven Brower for teaching us that you are most likely NOT going to get a job designing posters, or flat objects and assigning projects that really seem trivial but overall turned out a bit harder than anticipated. For example the game board and book project. Although they seem as if it could be an easy process, it was incredibly challenging. He also had us work collaboratively which prepared me for working with others in my field when I get out in the real world. Also just his casual stories of “oh I had lunch with so and so”, or “my uncle designed the I Love New York design.” 

Last, and certainly not least I want to thank Sue Jenkins. She has helped me tremendously throughout my college design career. Any time I ever had a problem, she would always be there not to solve it, but guide me to the solution. She helped prepare me for working in the real world, with real clients, and real contracts. When I say she helped me push my designs, I mean she told me a few times to start from the beginning because she knew I was being either lazy or not seeing the bigger picture and knew the design could be amazing if I only put in the effort. When it comes to advising, whether design or life, I always went to Sue because she would be honest and helpful.  She is an incredible support system for when any student needs her.

If it was not for Sue, and the entire design department staff, I would NOT be the designer I am today, and I would not have the confidence to spread my wings.