If you would have asked me a few years ago where I saw my future headed, that answer was easy: a biochemical engineer. Well, on March 13, 2020 the world shut down. In a world confined to isolation, I turned to the one thing that kept me sane: painting. I dug out my old paint and some canvases and began painting anything that came to mind. That quickly turned into taking orders and selling several canvases a week.

What did this teach me? I wasn’t made for a life in a lab or doing research or perfecting titrations. Rather, I was meant for a future that could turn my creativity into a career.

Fast forward to now, I’m a senior graduating with a BFA in graphic design from James Madison University. That love of art from a young age turned into finding a career where I could do what I love every single day. JMU helped sharpen my instinct to create into designing things that tell a story, serve a functionality, or embrace change. My time at JMU transformed my raw talent into a complete understanding of what it means to be a designer.