I love Legos.
I love building things and creating.
I love drawing, especially anime, something I’ve been passionate about since middle school.

Design feels like a natural fit for me. While drawing and building aren’t the entirety of design, they sparked my curiosity to explore graphic design—not just for myself, but for what it can offer others.

Since high school, I’ve worked toward the idea of building a career like my father’s. As a software engineer, he has thrived in both the private and public sectors. I admired his path and aspired to follow in his footsteps. The closest parallel seemed to be a Computer Science degree at Old Dominion University, where he earned his master’s degree. I believed that to excel at something, you should look to those who do it well.

In high school, I graduated with an advanced diploma and a seal from the Governor's STEM program, feeling proud to make my father proud. Pleasing those I care about and earning respect for my hard work is something I value deeply—sometimes, perhaps, too deeply.

When I began college, I pursued Computer Science and made steady progress for two years. But in my final semester, I faced a dilemma: the ambition to secure a high-paying job clashed with the importance of my own well-being. As convoluted as it sounds, my love for LEGOs played a role in shaping my more technological approach to career exploration. However, as my struggles in Computer Science grew, I sought a new path.

That path, I realized, was art. My mother, who earned an Associate’s degree in Graphic Design, inspired me to take a fresh look at her field. Designers constantly seek new ways forward—and so did I. Two years into college, I declared Graphic Design as my new major. Though it added an extra year to my education, it aligned far better with my passions and strengths.

Drawing has always guided me, but I’ve learned that it alone won’t secure a career. Still, it planted the seed for me to pursue an art degree. My father’s choices paved the way for me to enter college, and my mother’s choices helped me find the right direction to finish the journey.

Over the past three years in Graphic Design, I’ve developed a greater ambition—not just to draw the beginnings of my ideas, but to build something meaningful with the tools I’ve learned to use. A good designer doesn’t just work with their hands but masters the digital tools at their disposal.

College has also opened my eyes to the complex intersection of design and business. For many in the working class, paying the bills is a priority, and in today’s economy, money often dominates our thoughts. Graphic design, as many have pointed out, has increasingly become a tool for manipulating audiences and shaping the illusion of choice. Consumers are treated as numbers, their attention commodified for profit in the online marketplace.

While I can’t change this reality—nor can the rapid advancement of AI—I’ve come to accept it and focus on how to navigate it. Though it feels insurmountable at times, I believe we can endure these challenges. Designers hold immense power: to change lives for the better or contribute to their detriment.

We must provide services that uplift and empower, even while acknowledging that financial realities sometimes compel us to compromise. Regardless, we must remain grounded in values that set us apart—not to elevate ourselves, but to remember that we all start as ordinary people.