Translating Her Art Skills to a Range of Media

Angelina Pecoraro
Wahiawa, Hawaii
Graphic Design Advanced Certificate

Our featured student for December is Angelina Pecoraro, who lives in Wahiawa, Hawaii, a place not exactly devoid of beauty. Angelina completed a Graphic Design Certificate program at Sessions College, then was immediately entranced with Web Design, re-enrolling to develop the skills to launch her online business in portrait photography and design. Along the way, Angelina has developed the confidence in Adobe Creative Cloud to translate her art skills to a range of media. She’s getting ready to launch a business, so watch out, Aloha State!

Q: Angelina, you’ve already completed an Advanced Certificate in Graphic Design, and you’re now enrolled in a second program. What motivated you to pursue a certificate in Web Design?

Well, when I finished my Graphic Design Advanced Certificate I was so happy and started to tell all my friends what I had learned and I kept getting the same question, “Can you fix my website?” So, it made me think. I decided going back to school for Web design was the best option for me. So far, I’m very happy with the program. Coding is a whole new world and I’m excited to see where it takes me.

Q: Why did you choose to study online at Sessions College?

I come from a traditional art background. I studied fine art back home and received a Bachelor or Arts degree at a traditional school. Of course this is my passion and it’s something I wanted to pursue for the rest of my life. But, what I was finding on the job market was the need for knowing digital art, such as graphic design and Web design. I chose to study at Sessions because of what the school offers for their Advanced Graphic Design. The three main programs I could learn that stood out to me were Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. I learned the ins and outs of all of these programs and feel ready to tackle any graphic design project now.

Q: What’s the most fun or enjoyable project you’ve worked on?

That’s a hard question! There have been many projects I’ve enjoyed throughout my courses. However, I loved the project in Advanced Packaging Design where I was to create a playful product. The exercise was to design a limited edition package for Lego and I knew this was an opportunity to use a ton of fun colors and really get creative. I researched traditional Japanese colors which inspired the block names as well as Lego’s website so I could blend in with the brand seamlessly. I really enjoyed this project!

Q: How do you manage program deadlines alongside your work, family, or other commitments?

Managing deadlines is always a juggling act. It’s truly hard to find that perfect schedule that works for you. Sometimes, there will be early mornings or late nights and there’s not much working around it. However, I set priorities on the things most important in my life. Also, I created a goal for myself and set deadlines. I write the deadlines down on a calendar and mark them off as I go. This helps for me because I see that I’m accomplishing my tasks one by one.

Q: What is the biggest difference you’ve seen in your work so far?

There’s been a huge difference in my work! I went from not knowing anything about graphic and Web design to being able to code and build entire books using Adobe InDesign. I am forever grateful for what I’ve learned so far and I see it taking me to great places in the future.

Q: Describe your goals on graduating from the program.

Currently, I’m working on starting a portrait photography and design business. I’m talking the time to learn about business and marketing before I jump in. However, I hope to have it up in the New Year. Photography is a huge passion of mine and I’m lucky enough to live in a beautiful place [Editor: that’s for sure!] that lends well to outdoor portraits which is something I will offer in my business. Also, I want to offer total business solutions for small businesses by being able to produce marketing material all the way to websites for their business. There’s quite a lot of work to go with planning my business. But, starting a business is something I’ve wanted to do for a number of years and I can’t wait to start!

Visit sessions.edu for more information on Online Certificate Programs at Sessions College. Make sure you request our latest catalog and check out Vocational Program Admissions.