Personal: College Graduation

Yesterday I finally walked across the stage with my friends, and fellow graduates. (This will be a long blog, sorry.) I did not feel it until the moment I stepped on the stage, it was a feeling of excitement, yet sadness at the same time. It is really rare these days for people to graduate in four years, especially in the Design & Industry department, but somehow I did it. Many people think that the Visual Communication major is easy, but it is not. You spend hours in class, and then hours at home trying to come up with a good design. Only to go to class, and have that design turned down and you basically have to start over from scratch. Then you work on a design, but you're never satisfied with it, but there is only one hour left of class and you have to have it printed and mounted, so satisfaction is not an option.

This blog will mainly be about my accomplishments and struggles throughout my four years at San Francisco State University, a school that I did not think I would enjoy as much as I did. I came into the school with some of my closest friends: Angela & Seraphine. We knew we would have to eventually separate due to the difference in our majors. But during my first two years of college, I was content because I knew I always had someone I knew in my classes and together we would make new friends. The first two years was difficult, struggling to get classes, trying to pass classes, and of course the rise in tuition. But somehow, I was able to push through and take on at least 15 units each semester & complete my general education.



During my second year was when I finally picked myself up and attempted to get into the correct major. I was under the Art major because somehow I though that related to design. I finally set up an appointment and met with one of the Design and Industry Visual Communication advisors: Professor Singer. After a long talk with Singer, I realized that I really was in the right place, but mis communication about getting into the program threw me off track. This was during the first semester of my sophomore year where he called people about getting into the program because they were implementing a application process due to the impaction within the major. I was then told that I could not get in because I did not finish the required two electives that were needed to apply. I walked out of Singer's office sad, but picked myself up and made sure I took one of the electives the next semester. During the next semester, I went to see Singer again to tell him that I was on track to applying, he then told me that I actually did not have to apply because I was a current student, not a transfer. He immediately noticed the mistake and brought me down to the department office to clear everything. They were nice and gave me the exception that if I finish my electives by the Fall of 2011 and completed an application, that I would get into the program as a late applicant.

I felt hopeless at this point, because there are also three core classes that are only offered in the fall which gets filled up fast, and since I would not get into the program until the end of the summer, I would not be able to get into the classes. During the summer, I took a drawing class at City College of San Francisco to fulfill one of the electives, this class was six hours a day for three days. This was rough, but I got through it and left for Hawaii after summer school with my family. While I was in Hawaii, I received a call from the Design and Industry office saying that I got into the program before my grades even came in for summer school! I was excited, and my final registration classes was coming up soon, so it was perfect. Since I was in Hawaii, I had to do my registration through my phone, I was able to get into one of my prereq classes and wait list the other two. I began feeling like I was back on track for a moment.

(Photo by Judy Chu)

When school started, I began crashing the other prereq classes, but it was impossible to get in because most of the people crashing had priority over me since I was still labeled as a junior while everyone else was a senior. At this point I felt like I was wasting tuition since I could only get into prereq core class and two electives. I began asking and looking around for internships so that I could get units. My friend, Connie Cheung was able to get me an internship with a company she worked for, Fully Laced. But a week later, I was contacted by Professor Nancy Noble asking if I still wanted to add the class because a spot cleared up, this made me really happy, I got into a class that was difficult to get into. A couple days later, I got another e-mail, from Professor Chu, asking if I still wanted to add her pre req class! Of course I accepted both these classes and was finally on track! I was able to finish my prereq classes, while balancing two other classes, with a job and an internship. This is also when I met some of my first friends: David, Judy, and Kristine.

During my second semester in the department, I began realizing how difficult it was going to be to add classes. I needed to take four core classes which were a computer graphic class, drafting, design process, and research & writing. The only class I was able to obtain was the research class & computer graphics. I had to crash the other two. It seemed almost impossible to crash, there were so many people trying to crash each class! But I kept trying and came back everyday in hopes to at least get into one of the two. After two weeks, I was finally added into the drafting class. As for the design process class, I kept trying, even though I kept thinking to myself that it was going to be difficult to handle, since I already had five other classes. But I kept trying anyways and eventually, the teacher added me. Now these classes were not the typical 3 hour a week classes, they were 6 hours a week each. And at this point I was still interning & working with the 18 units. I though that it was going to be impossible, but with good time management, I made it. I broke down at one point due to the stress, but I eventually picked myself back up and continued to work hard.

In order to complete my degree in four years, I had to take two summer classes: Digital Media 1 and Graphic Design 1. I almost ended up not taking one of these because they were all four days a week for four hours each, meaning eight hours a day! But I am glad I ended up taking it, because this is where I met some of my closest friends in the department: Anthony, Derek, and Luis. We spent hours in the classroom with each other, not paying attention, paying attention, doing work, and joking around. There was about a five hour gap in between each class, but I ended up working in between. This summer was also the summer I ended my job, and was hired at my internship as a graphic designer. With the help of my friends, I was able to finish my summer classes with a breeze no matter how tough or irritating it became.

My final year at San Francisco State University. This is the year where I began to know and recognize everyone within the department. It was nice to always see familiar faces within the halls all the time. This was also the year of my toughest classes and the year that I joined AIGA, the American Institute for Graphic Arts. There I was able to obtain the Programming officer position and plan events. And during my second semester, I was elected the Vice-President position to work along side Ryan Griego to help the organization grow. This was also the year that I realized that these friends that I made were some of the greatest people and that my professors were some of the best, and friendliest ones in the university. During my final semester, I took on two heavy loaded classes, with work that basically felt like I was taking my regular 15 units. With the help of my professors and fellow students, I made it. I was finally graduating, I could not believe it. Four years of hard work, long nights, and stress, I was finally there. I did not feel it at first, but the last few weeks I spent with a lot of my design friends, and I realized that I was really going to miss them. They were basically there to help and guide me through my most stressful times and make going to class more fun and bearable.



Thanks everyone who helped my throughout my stressful times! I am not really one to express my feelings, but I just wanted to let everyone know what I appreciate everyone's help along the way. You guys are the best. (And I'll be surprised if anyone actually read this whole thing.) To the class of 2013, we finally made it! This is to the years we spent digging our faces into the computer and struggling to get classes! It finally paid off! :) Thanks for making me feel like I belonged somewhere, and keeping this tight network of friends & classmates. It is sad to know that I will not be seeing everyone almost everyday anymore and being apart of a group of students, knowing that there would always be somewhere there to talk to. Please keep in touch.