Alyssa is a freshman majoring in graphic design with a minor in photography. She is from Ontario, NY, and lives on campus.
How are you and your family paying for college?
My family is contributing to my education in addition to the scholarships and grants provided by DePaul. I received the following scholarships and grants: St. Vincent de Paul Scholarship, DePaul Award, DePaul Sage Tuition Grant, and EDGE Program Award.
Why did you choose to attend DePaul?
I knew I wanted to go far away from home and be located somewhere where I never felt bored on the weekends. The moment I got to DePaul, I knew it felt right. I love the calmness at Lincoln Park and the bustling city life in the Loop. It is nice having most of my classes in the Loop and then traveling back to Lincoln Park to relax. I also fell in love with my program. The College of Computing and Digital Media is great with a good range of classes and high-ranking professors/courses. I really feel like the city is my campus. I have no worries about finding an internship. There is so much to do on the weekends as well, like sightseeing, shopping, movies, plays and food. DePaul offers so many opportunities as well, like our amazing fitness center, dining hall, library and stadium. Overall, I am really happy with my decision and proud to be a Blue Demon!
What do you hope to do after you graduate? What are some ways DePaul is helping you prepare for this?
I plan to work in a city, most likely in Australia, as a freelance or in-house graphic designer. As a side job, I would love to photograph portraits. I also plan to be a scuba dive instructor on the weekends. DePaul is preparing me for this by challenging me to go out of my comfort zone already. There are tons of internships and experiences that DePaul and the city offer. The faculty and staff at CDM are also pushing me to do my best work. The biggest experience I had this year, was taking part in EDGE, which is a program just for freshmen. We practice career and financial planning, gain work experience in a university department, and get some practical tips like how to look for an apartment for next year. As part of the MarCom EDGE team, I learned about running social media for a big organization and interacting with others. It expanded my leadership, independence and teamwork. DePaul also encourages students to study abroad. I plan to go to Australia to gain new knowledge and expand on my independence. DePaul has so many opportunities to offer; I feel like transitioning into the real world will be a breeze.
What’s valuable about your student’s DePaul education that makes your investment worthwhile?
Alyssa’s parents: The DePaul education and experience our daughter has received so far has been wonderful. We like the fact that Alyssa has been able to take several courses in her major already. We have been very impressed with her projects in animation, graphic design, photography, and art. The professors have been very supportive and complimentary about her work. They have encouraged her and appreciated the time and level of detail she put into her projects.
We were nervous about her moving to such a large city, but the faculty, staff, and students all made us feel comfortable that this was the right choice for Alyssa. The Premiere DePaul freshman and parent orientation program was beyond our expectations. It was so well-organized and informative. We also enjoyed the activities planned for Family Weekend in the fall. The Chicago Quarter Immersion Week was such a unique opportunity for freshmen to be on campus a week early, get settled in, and explore the city. We were glad it also provided service time for our daughter to participate in the larger Chicago community. Although we are still nervous about our daughter being in such a big city, we are confident she will be well prepared to pursue her career when she graduates.