How did you choose UC and the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning?

When it came time to choose colleges, my top two were UC and a school in New York City. I’m from a very small town, so I didn’t think I’d handle the transition from small town to biggest city in America very well, plus I was drawn to DAAP because of the solid reputation among designers, as well as the good rankings for the fashion-design program and renowned faculty.

Has your scholarship been transformative in your life?

I was really concerned about financing my education. Besides allowing me to graduate with minimal debt, my scholarship allowed me to focus on excelling in the fashion-design program. It’s not uncommon for us to work in the studio until 2 or 3 in the morning after attending hours of class, even later if we’re close to deadline. So it would be very difficult to do that and hold a job.

It also gave me the freedom to explore working for multiple companies in different departments so I could find an ideal career path. A lot of us in the program look at co-op as a 10-week interview, but it’s also a great way to find out if you’re cut out for a particular line of work without pursuing a full-time job, then discovering you hate it.

How has UC transformed your life?

My background as a student at DAAP helped immensely in getting some amazing co-ops in the fashion industry because the company’s leaders know the reputation of DAAP and look at us as “sure things.” Getting hands-on experience, like the co-ops I had, was great because I gained a perspective on what I want to do full time and what sort of work/life balance I would have.

Some of the most prestigious jobs carried the longest hours and largest workloads, almost to the point where you wouldn’t have a social life. I know now that I don’t want to live at work, and co-oping helped me realize that without dampening my pursuit of a career in the industry.

What would you tell someone considering a gift to fund scholarships at UC?

Scholarships enable a lot of great things to happen. For some people, like me, they are the only way to attend college because the costs are simply too high otherwise. Not having a substantial debt obligation in the future also helps.

Without my scholarship support, I would have never gone from a small town like Delphos, Ohio, to all the places I’ve worked. I also doubt that just heading into my senior year, I would have such an amazing job opportunity lined up with Target after graduation. Knowing what that support did for me, I would absolutely encourage others to give to scholarships at UC.