Today: Mar 28, 2024

Student Artist: ‘I am proud of myself for what I have done’

Melissa Nunez – General Assignment Reporter

As a kid, Rosita Laureano, senior graphic design major, could always be found with paper and pencils in hand, doodling away. When she got to high school, she was told being a doctor or a scientist was a more suitable career and gave up the idea of being an artist. She excelled in her classes, but upon reaching the end of her freshman year at Southern, could not decide on a major.

It was not until she crossed paths with a former self that she realized she only has one passion in life. Laureano recalled that in her elementary school yearbook, she said that she wanted to be an art teacher.

“While I did not want to be a teacher, I love art and I still wanted to do art. That was the only thing I desired,” said Laureano. “I was passionate about art and I knew that I could not do anything else.”

Laureano said her biggest inspiration is the human form, specifically portraits and a lot of that derives from her very animated family.

“I have always been fascinated about facial expressions. I guess my family is very expressive, so they are a bunch of goofballs,” said Laureano. “That is why for a baby series I did, my goal was to not do cutesy, traditional baby pictures, but to catch real, funny, goofy moments. Like all of the goofy facial expressions that babies do have.”

Laureano said selecting a concentration in graphic design came as a surprise since she was not a huge fan of computers, but ultimately realized in today’s society computer knowledge is necessary to succeed in any industry and she also wanted to break out of her comfort zone by learning new concepts that she was not regularly accustomed to.

Laureano added she designs artwork for the music department and is participating in some upcoming projects for the university as well.

“I am the graphic designer for the music department. I make all of the posters for the upcoming events they hold,” said Laureano. “Any posters that you see around, I have done them, mostly.”

Laureano is in the process of re-designing the posters for S.A.R.T. with professor Jules Tetreault dean of student affairs and professor Kelly Carrington. She is excited about adding onto the posters.

In addition to Laureano’s work around campus, she says she also has an internship with the Cottages and Gardens magazine. There she does various layout designs such as covers, table of contents, picking photos, laying out text and then collaborating those various design possibilities with her intern coordinator.

In the culmination of her college career, Laureano was told she could apply for the Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Award, where recipients must have a minimum 3.7 GPA and establish considerable participation in campus life. In her essay she highlighted what winning this award would prove to art major skeptics everywhere.

“In the essay I was talking about not conforming to regular standard jobs and how I was not encouraged to do art but it was my passion and, if I do get this award, it would show skeptical students, if they are thinking about it, that as an art major you can do so much,” said Laureano. “I am proud of myself for what I have done and Southern has a pretty good program, so you can do it too.”

Photo Credit: Melissa Nunez – General Assignment Reporter

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