Because I think it’s a great way to start off the new quarter, I share some correspondence between me and a student who is coming to realize her own power.

You can be sure students are getting a great education when they begin to measure what they do know against what they don’t know. It’s never about how much you know, or can memorize. It is about reaching that place where you begin to realize you are empowered, you are pushing your own personal values forward. Kinzie’s doing that, so her confidence is now becoming contagious.

And, the thing is, this …more

Our own Charlotte Graves was one of the nine students chosen from a nationwide pool of applicants to participate in this year’s Project M.

If you don’t already know, John Bielenberg founded Project M in 2003. Excited by Sam Mockbee’s Rural Studio, John felt it was time to provide a similar opportunity for designers to contribute to the greater good. Project M’s mission is “to inspire young graphic designers, writers, photographers and other creative people that their work can have a positive and significant impact on the world.” So far, project M has designed projects in Maine, Costa Rica, …more

Every three months, clockwork, I get the notes from rising seventh-quarter students, suddenly pushing for internships, asking about holes in their portfolios, begging for job contacts. There are specific points of panic (DO I NEED ANOTHER TYPE CLASS?) and generalized anxiety (What if I can’t find a job and have to live in my parents’ basement?).

This time, instead of answering these letters one by one, I’m posting my response here, meant to help you consider these questions from another angle, ponder the idea that you might not be asking the right questions:

Dear (Your Name Here),

Think for a moment. …more