Jessie Quantrille was eager to dive into the arts program on campus after she transferred to UL Lafayette from another Louisiana college as a freshman.
“The minute I stepped on campus at UL Lafayette I knew that I wanted to come here,” she said. “The atmosphere was warm and welcoming and there were culture and history everywhere I looked.”
Jessie was not only drawn to the atmosphere but also the opportunities UL Lafayette provided.
“Coming to UL Lafayette is one of the best decisions I ever made,” Jessie said. “It was a choice that I will never regret. I knew this was the place I needed to be, and the best education I could get in visual arts, so I took the leap.”
Studying Graphic Design
Jessie is passionate about visual arts, and specifically graphic design.
“Graphic design is such an expansive field that seemingly has no creative limitations,” she said. “Everywhere I look, I see little bits of graphic design, and that makes me excited for the opportunities I can have to put my art into the world.”
One of Jessie’s favorite classes for her major was Visual Communications (CMCN 335) with Kevin Hagan.
“Visual Communications is the first class you take in the graphic design concentration as a sophomore, and you learn so many good foundational skills that prepare you to be a technically proficient graphic designer,” she said.
“Kevin is very patient and will help you until you understand something, while at the same time giving you the space you need to expand on your own while you learn.”
Another one of her favorite classes has been Typography I (VIAR 347) with Jeff Lush.
“Type I was one of the first classes that really challenged me to try different things and make smart decisions that would make me a stronger designer,” she explained. “It made me view the power that words and type, in general, hold in a design composition! Jeff really pushed me to do the best I could and now I am absolutely obsessed with typography and am currently also loving Type II.”
Jessie has enjoyed the interactions with her professors across campus.
“I like the close proximity to our professors and classmates,” she said. “It really feels like we’re all working together to get to the end goal, and all criticism is only in an effort to help you become a better artist/designer.”
Jessie has benefited from that criticism, not only in learning to improve her work but also in learning how to take and give constructive criticism.
“The ability to learn how to give and take feedback in a constructive way is a great skill,” she said. “Criticism is a core element of any art that is created and being able to have an objective look at your own work, take in what others are saying to you, and then use what has been said to improve your work is so important.”
Getting experience outside the classroom
Outside the classroom, Jessie is involved with the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM), which gave her important professional development skills plus an opportunity to meet her campus family.
“The BCM is a wonderful and welcoming ministry that has given me a second home here at UL Lafayette,” she said. “I have gotten the chance to not only do graphic design/media coordination for them but also the chance to reach others through Leadership Team opportunities.”
She was also a graphic design intern for the Department of Visual Arts and is the president of the Graphic Design Collective student organization.
In addition to academic opportunities, Jessie says she finds the entire University culture conducive to education.
“The environment is just the best,” she said. “It’s not so big that you feel lost on campus or forgotten by your professors, and it’s not so small that you feel like you never left home."
"I think UL Lafayette cultivates a good atmosphere for learning and growing into a young adult and professional.”
Throughout her time at UL Lafayette, Jessie has fallen in love with the University.
“I’ve met some of my best friends, had more opportunities than I would have ever imagined, learned so much about myself as a person, and became an artist that couldn’t have foreseen four years ago when I enrolled in college,” she said. “UL Lafayette did that for me, and I am forever grateful.”