Being in a design major, I really needed to learn and develop a stronger work ethic, and to not settle for average work. It made sense that I needed to complete every project, but I also needed to have pride in the work that I completed. This meant that I put forth effort in every project, regardless of how relevant it was to my major. This is significant to my life because in my future career, I won’t always like the projects that I will be given, but I will still need to take pride in the work that I create and put forth to employers.
One of my most stressful challenges that I overcame this year was the DAAP body mantle project. I was extremely limited in the methods I could use to create a wearable design with cupcake liners and paper clips. It collapsed the night before my final critique for class and two days before it was supposed to be walked down a runway. I ended up completing the piece, but it cost me two nights sleep and I had to completely redesign the way the piece was going to be worn. It was a challenge, but I learned that sometimes I will need to think on my feet to create something, and to not give up hope when something doesn’t go how I had planned.
An organization that I am proud to say that I have been involved with has been the Girl Scouts of Southwest Ohio. I was involved with two different troops in the Cincinnati Public School system: South Avondale Elementary and Chase Elementary. It was really a joy to use my design and art skills to teach these girls new ways to make art, as well as helping them to build their self-confidence. It was really inspiring to listen to one girl tell me that she looked forward to seeing me every week. I will definitely be continuing this throughout the next year to give back to the community.
I was also involved in ROAR, the volunteer tour guides on campus. I love being able to be the difference for potential students when it comes to making the college decision. Another benefit of being part of this organization was getting involved with their Advanced Leadership Development Program, or ALDP. We researched how to increased and retain diversity on campus, and I used my design skills to help make a pamphlet for potential students that now placed in the Office of Admissions. This definitely helped me change my perspective about the way that I view diversity in the world. Diversity is not simply race: it also means gender, sexuality, income, backgrounds, age, etc. These things are not always something you would consider to be an issue, but they were all issues we researched and discussed.
I think the biggest change about me from the beginning of the year is probably the way that I think about projects and challenges. A huge part of that has been Design for America and learning about the design process. Now I know that there are multiple ways to look at a problem, and it’s important to look at all aspects of something and to adequately research everything before jumping right into a project. This definitely will inform my next steps before creating any projects for my portfolio. I know that I cannot simply create a project based on something that I find cool. Rather, I need to do something that is following a trend and will be able to be applied to the real world. My goal for the upcoming year is to develop a comprehensive portfolio based on research and problem solving.
One of my most stressful challenges that I overcame this year was the DAAP body mantle project. I was extremely limited in the methods I could use to create a wearable design with cupcake liners and paper clips. It collapsed the night before my final critique for class and two days before it was supposed to be walked down a runway. I ended up completing the piece, but it cost me two nights sleep and I had to completely redesign the way the piece was going to be worn. It was a challenge, but I learned that sometimes I will need to think on my feet to create something, and to not give up hope when something doesn’t go how I had planned.
An organization that I am proud to say that I have been involved with has been the Girl Scouts of Southwest Ohio. I was involved with two different troops in the Cincinnati Public School system: South Avondale Elementary and Chase Elementary. It was really a joy to use my design and art skills to teach these girls new ways to make art, as well as helping them to build their self-confidence. It was really inspiring to listen to one girl tell me that she looked forward to seeing me every week. I will definitely be continuing this throughout the next year to give back to the community.
I was also involved in ROAR, the volunteer tour guides on campus. I love being able to be the difference for potential students when it comes to making the college decision. Another benefit of being part of this organization was getting involved with their Advanced Leadership Development Program, or ALDP. We researched how to increased and retain diversity on campus, and I used my design skills to help make a pamphlet for potential students that now placed in the Office of Admissions. This definitely helped me change my perspective about the way that I view diversity in the world. Diversity is not simply race: it also means gender, sexuality, income, backgrounds, age, etc. These things are not always something you would consider to be an issue, but they were all issues we researched and discussed.
I think the biggest change about me from the beginning of the year is probably the way that I think about projects and challenges. A huge part of that has been Design for America and learning about the design process. Now I know that there are multiple ways to look at a problem, and it’s important to look at all aspects of something and to adequately research everything before jumping right into a project. This definitely will inform my next steps before creating any projects for my portfolio. I know that I cannot simply create a project based on something that I find cool. Rather, I need to do something that is following a trend and will be able to be applied to the real world. My goal for the upcoming year is to develop a comprehensive portfolio based on research and problem solving.
