magine having a plan for the next four years and in a matter of an hour it has faded away. How do you get back on track knowing you did not have a backup plan? Before I can get into how an unknown backup plan became my biggest blessing; I believe my backstory needs to be know.
August 25, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. To this day it is the worst day I have encountered. Just like anyone else leaving home hurts and can be life changing. Unfortunately I like some others my family was unable to move back and at this point decided to stay in Texas. Why, because it is close to enough to drive home, but far enough to not have to wonder every hurricane season.
Fast forward to the Summer of 2015, I am finishing community college and chosen which university to go too. I am a planner so I had been thinking for awhile and already took classes for my major. The major I chose required each student to be interviewed before applying. Before interviewing I spoke to an academic counselor to you know cover my basis. That’s when my next six years diminished in front of me. According to the counselor I had two strikes against so there was no way I could have this interview. What were my two strikes? I failed Philosophy and retook the class to pass. Yes, failing was a strike, I had a D; then retaking it to pass, an A, was another. Now I drove four hours, not a serious drive for me considering New Orleans is eights hours, but I drove to sit in an hour meeting where someone told me no this will not work you are basically not good enough. Okay! Now what! Well I drive four hours back trying to figure exactly what to do next. I am suppose to transfer in a month and do not know what I am doing at this point.
That four hour ride turned into four hours of research on everything the university offered. Now back in high school I was apart of this Tumblr/Facebook group that created digital assets for our Tumblr blogs. It was fun and provided me with a side hustle. Little did I know that hustle would become a career. This major was just as hard as the first I chose. To continue on within the major a portfolio process was required, pass/fail class. All the professors sit in a lecture hall and view the designs or each student and rank them. How did I fail my first try? I could not tell you. My professor said he was shocked and it did not make sense to him. I have never failed a class before other than that one Philosophy class. Luckily you get two tries. Second round, no hesitation, no guess. I was in and could continue on.
Title: LaHarpe St. | Medium: Inking
“For this composition I chose to focus on the steps in front of the home where my grandmother lived before the storm. These steps were pleasant for me before I moved. They were a safe haven and a place to play. In my childhood they were a forest, house, store beauty salon and more. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit and the aftermath effected us all. Standing in front of these steps weeks after the disaster was painful and only hinted at the sight inside, beyond its threshold. A set of steps that once brought me happiness within a great city now only gives me the memory of devastation and lost."
For the next four years I took classes like drawing, coding, photography, branding and typography. I loved it! This being said was I still upset about not being able to do Radiation Therapy first? No, I was upset I understood why, but I believe that Philosophy class did wonders for me. It guided me to a path where I am now the holder of a BFA in Communication Design as of 2018 and someone who enjoys waking up for work.
- Tia Renai