“Ultimately, the semester abroad made me more ambitious and open-minded, personally and professionally.”
Year of graduation
2016
School
Berlin University of the Arts, 2015
What you gained from the experience professionally and personally
The opportunity to study in Berlin was one of the most enriching experiences of my life. Berlin was a step far outside my linguistic and cultural comfort zone; I was 4000 miles away from home with little grasp of the language, and enrolled in an illustration program despite never having taken a single course in illustration. Things were different, and while it seemed frightening at first, Berlin quickly became my home. I saw my time abroad as an opportunity to embrace challenges and develop both my design skills and character. I took advantage of UdK’s courses, some of which did not exist at Cooper Union. One such class was a photo-illustration class taught by renowned illustrator Henning Wagenbreth. Henning’s work is rich in color, depth, and political undertone and while I had originally decided to take an information design class, I found the illustration course to be more inline with what I wanted to do with my work. Taking illustration was a much needed break from the work I had been creating in the states, and I benefited greatly from being around an international student body of illustrators who helped me better both my language and design skills. Ultimately, the semester abroad made me more ambitious and open-minded, personally and professionally.
Future Plans
I am currently interning with a small design firm that focuses on motion graphics and brand identities and have found a growing interest in video and animation. Studying at Cooper Union and UdK has shown me that design is versatile and ever changing, and I hope to build my career with this in mind. I strongly believe that design is not a job or a task, but rather a way of looking at the world and that a good designer can create just about anything. With this in mind, I hope to work for multidisciplinary design firms that would give me the flexibility to further hone my design skills. Immediately after graduating, I hope to return to Europe and travel more before returning to pursue a master’s degree.
- Study Abroad