**Truman State University**

I earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing with a minor in Graphic Design from Truman State University in Spring 2019. The university’s liberal arts curriculum helped broaden my perspective, sharpen my critical thinking, and shape the create lens for my projects.
While studying marketing, I developed skills in sales, branding, and market research. A pivotal moment in my academic journey was my marketing capstone course, where we analyzed advertising strategies and explored how brands expand into new markets. These lessons deeply influenced how I think about storytelling and audience connection
Although marketing was my focus, some of my favorites classes were in graphic design. I enjoyed immersing myself in creative briefs and seeing a concept come to life. One professor in particular challenged me to grow as an artist while staying true to the project’s constraints. Authenticity was key - if I needed a photo of a wire connector, I needed to find one and photograph it myself. That hands-on , resourceful mindset continuous to shape how I approach design today.

**Athletics & Teamwork**

A major reason I chose Truman was the opportunity to compete on the men’s swim team. Coach Ed Petre recruited me as a sprint specialist in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard backstroke. During my time on the team, I improved across almost every event and helped break two school relay records.
More than the personal best, what defined my swimming experience was the team. Training with the team twice a day, six days a week, created a deep bond. These teammates became family. They taught me the importance of consistency, positivity, and giving 110% - not just in the pool, but in life.

**Giving Back**

One of the most meaningful parts of being on the Truman swim team was our involvement with Swim Across America, a nonprofit that raises money and awareness for cancer research through charity swim events.
This cause is deeply personal to me. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 and again in 2020, so being able to give back in her honor meant the world. During my time in the program, I raised over $2,500 and participated in three Swim Across America Events. The fundraiser was a reminder of the power of community and using what you love to make a difference.

Book Cover Redesign: DOROTHY MUST DIE SERIES

The intent was to recreate book covers of books we had read. The first image shows my recreations of the cover art, and the second image is what the original cover art was for the story. Things that I chose to do in my recreation were to increase image intensity, use unique photography, lean in to the story's darker personality, and improve on the font.

Magazine Advertisements: White Claw Hard Seltzer

This is a series of advertisements for a class that features White Claw Hard Seltzer. Some of the advertisements' objectives were to manipulate fruit photography to create a focal point, create cohesion between the set, and use an image of the product..

Remake for the Passion Pit Manners CD

For a visual communications graphics course, we were asked to re-create the album art for our favorite CD. The original artwork is an image of flowing blobs and I wanted to create a similar feeling visual with actual paint.

Branding Class Project: Lego Create-Along Lego Sets

This concept was developed for one of my marketing classes. The idea was to enhance reader engagement by pairing a popular book series with a creative, hands-on experience. Each set would include the book, an instruction guide, and themed LEGO builds that readers create as they progress through the story—turning reading into an interactive adventure with a collectible keepsake at the end. I created sample sets for The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson & the Olympians series.

Postal Stamp Series: The Life of an Egg

This is a story series of stamps. I needed to create five stamps that feature some topic dealing with breakfast. I was also challenged by only being allowed to use two different colors and making sure that the set had a visual flow that when into the proceeding stamp. I chose the topic of eggs, and I wanted to tell the story of making an omelet.

Awareness Posters: Drug abuse within the LGBTQ+

This is a series that is intended for getting people's attention. I created two posters taking on drug abuse within club culture. I wanted the signs to be so odd that it makes the viewer look twice at it.

Men’s Swimming Fundraising Calendar

During the 2017-2018 season, a fellow teammate approached me with an additional fundraising effort for the men’s team. We created a calendar to compete with the fraternity Lambda Chi. I was tasked with photography, photo editing, and selling the calendar to sororities and female athletic teams on campus. In total, this project created over $1,000 in fundraising for our team.

Incoming Student Major Flyers

For a graphic design class project, we were tasked with creating flyers to showcase the different majors at our school. I chose a rainbow space theme to match the tagline, “Explore your space.” Each flyer was designed to give incoming students a quick, colorful snapshot of the major, with fun floating elements meant to spark curiosity and excitement.

Drop Cap and Font Stickers

For a typography course, I created drop caps of several letters with specific themes that given to me by my professor. I enjoy these designs quite a bit, and I am currently deciding whether to sell them on RedBubble.

Original Logo - Progression

This was one of the first logos I created for myself in college. I am a creative individual and have an eye for design. I have dark teal eyes as well. That was the main focus in most of the designs along side merging the “C” with the eyeball.