We asked some of the brightest folks from within the community to reflect back on their days in school and to share with us a story of when they learned a particularly important or impactful lesson. We’ve shared highlights below.

Gloria Rodriguez

I received my college degree in education. I stand firm that this has benefited me immensely in my career as a portrait photographer. I learned from early on how unique and individual each child is. Each one deserves to be treated as such. They definitely don’t go by “one size fits all”. Even more true is that each child appreciates when you treat them with respect and do your best to understand their needs. Read more>>

Jazmin Lozano

I faced many obstacles during my college years but the one memory that has stuck with me and shaped me as a person was with my college advisor junior year. Because of this experience I learned that if you ever need anything done then you have to do it yourself. Me and my advisor never seemed to see eye to eye on things and I remember the time I petitioned for the approval of a few transferred credits to be accepted, he denied them and ultimately wanting me to retake and repay for the courses I had already taken and passed. Read more>>

Kenderick Durant

Don’t Marry your work!!! That is most important thing I learned in school. Art and design can be so subjective. What one person loves, another might hate. At the start of my journey, I was very intimidated by the my peers and the major itself. Everyone around me were grew up an artist, but not me. I couldn’t even draw a straight line lol. Most of the design students in my classes had already had their own businesses outside of school. Read more>>

Tyla-Simone Crayton

The most important lesson I learned in school was time management. I learned to be proactive , when I had multiple home work assignments due each week. Now, in running a business I use those skills more than ever. Especially, learning how to prioritize my time to get a lot of work done but also protect my mental health. Read more>>

Raven Magee.

I attended The Art Institute of Atlanta and received a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Fashion Marketing and Management in 2021. When I was in high school I decided I wanted to study fashion because it was the career field I wanted to be in. I knew I had a passion and calling for it. A lot of people think going to college for creative degrees are a waste of time, but it’s not. If you want to learn more about your passion take a course or not even just going to college but getting help will help you in the long run. Read more>>