Yep, it’s true. I’m a 55-year-old student. I left my career as a television news videojournalist in October of 2018, and at the end of 2021, I returned to college to rectify my greatest regret: Dropping out in 1989 due to a lack of funds.
55-Year-Old Student at the University of Arizona
I’m currently a junior at the College of Fine Arts at the University of Arizona, located in Tucson Arizona where I was born, although my coursework isn’t on campus; it’s entirely online. Online is terrific as an older student. No one judges your age. You can do schoolwork in your pajamas at 4:30 am while drinking coffee. You don’t have to search for parking on campus. AND… you can live anywhere, which considering I split my time between Winslow Arizona and Yucca Valley California, works beautifully.
My major is Design Arts and Practices with a Content Creation minor.
I’m the first in my immediate family to go to college and currently hold a 4.0 GPA. My goal is to graduate with all A’s. In addition to writing about photography, I will occasionally write about student life on my blog. If you’re interested in going back to school but have questions, drop me an email. I’d be happy to give you my two-cents.
I can say this about being a 55-year-old student:
I LOVE SCHOOL.
The Design Arts Program:
Illustration + Design
University of arizona
The School of Art’s Illustration + Design program was ranked No. 9 nationally for public universities in a recent ranking from Animation Career Review, which considered nearly 150 institutions. Arizona ranked in the top 25 percent of all programs nationally (34th out of 150).
The Illustration & Design program gives students a foundation in both design and illustration so that they can work fluidly in all aspects of visual communication. With a focus on story development, Illustration & Design students alongside work in animation and motion design including stop motion, animated short stories and animated web content.
Completed Major Coursework:
(Most recent first)
- Why Design Matters (current)
- Illustration Studio (current)
- History of Cinema
- Design Study I
- Graphic Design
- Typography
- Digital Storytelling & Culture
- Wrote, Produced, Recorded, and Edited a 20 minute podcast
- Contemporary Art & Theory
- Gaze – Photography Theory and Workshop
- Mapping – Drawing in Two Dimensions
Stay tuned for more!