The 55-year-old Student

University of Arizona Wildcats 55-year-old student

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.

photo of the 55-year-old student in 1989
1989 Me

55-Year-Old Student at the University of Arizona

2023 Me

I can say this about being a 55-year-old student:

I LOVE SCHOOL.


The Design Arts Program:

Illustration + Design
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.

University of arizona

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!