Gaining Confidence as a Designer – Dora Fromer

“When the opportunity to go to college arose, I knew I wanted to take design classes to help me take the skills I had developed over the years to the next level.

All of my children had graduated high school, a couple had started college, and they encouraged me to go, said that it was time for me.

As a double major in graphic design and studio art, I wanted my work to look professional – studio art was the icing on the cake. In college, I learned to be confident in my abilities as a designer. My experiences at Meredith through internships and study abroad helped me to enhance my skills as a designer as well as make lasting connections.

My relationships with everyone at Meredith have helped me adjust from a stay-at-home mom lifestyle into a professional setting. The support I received from faculty, staff, and students has been wonderful, especially the Wings program for non-traditional students.

I loved my study abroad experience in Sansepolcro, Italy! It was challenging being without my family but I really enjoyed the people and culture in Italy. I loved that through Meredith we were given a more personal experience within a small town, yet had opportunities to experience city life. 

I am thankful that even though I couldn’t communicate as well as I would have liked through verbal language, I found people with whom I could communicate in a language without words, some through a kindred spirit and others through a Spirit with a tie that binds. During my study abroad I also went to the Northeast and Northwest of Italy on two separate trips (and made it there and back in one piece!)

While at Meredith, I held two internships, one with the Colton Review for the 2022 edition, in which I presented some layout design options and the final design layout. The other was with Weems Gallery. I was able to design a suite for the 2022 Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition, which included entry flyers, the jury poster, and the exhibition poster. The experiences helped me feel more prepared for potential work in the area of graphic design.

After graduation, I am looking into internships and entry-level positions for graphic designers and am also continuing my studio artwork through the Pullen Arts Center.”