“When I first came to college, I wanted to study business because I felt a lot of pressure to make money. I thought I would make a company or something and I felt like art would be a waste of time. Looking back it makes me sad that I didn’t want to pursue my talents and what truly makes me happy.

Next, I considered a multi-disciplinary design degree, but I didn’t know if that was the right choice because my real passion had been filmmaking. I eventually settled on graphic design after taking a few classes and I really fell in love with it. I am so glad I chose this degree. There are other things I’m still interested in pursuing but I don’t regret what I studied. I’m so glad I tested out the waters of my interests so I could focus on what I am passionate about. 

In my graphic design classes, I loved the elements of psychology and philosophy mixed into the curriculum. While many of the things I am learning are things I already agreed with, I really loved seeing the way design impacts people and how design can be used as a tool to resolve many negative elements in society. 

There is an infectious energy that comes from being in an art class. It makes entering a creative flow state so much easier than when creating alone. Just being in the presence of other people creating fuels my desire to make things. Being around artists who passionately want to create art has probably been the nicest part of my time in the fine arts/design program. 

By the time I graduate in May, it will have taken me about seven years to get through my degree. I spent the first few years trying out universities and transferring between schools. Then I completed my general electives first, only to discover it would still take four years to complete my program courses. There have been some benefits of being in school longer though; I’ve been able to work part-time, as well as be able to really soak up the knowledge in my art and design classes.”

— Preston Kramer, a senior studying graphic design from Utah County