As a college student in the late 70s/early 80s, it was a time when many students were taking gap years, traveling the world and moving from institution to institution.  And I was no exception.  For me, when I came to Hofstra it was like coming home.  I had been moving around a lot, but enrolling at Hofstra allowed me to really commit to receiving my education and truly “get to work.”  Every experience in life comes together to make you who you are – and I know that who I am today can be attributed to my experience at Hofstra.

My favorite thing about being a student at Hofstra was the well-rounded education.  As an artist, I was able to pursue commercial art, art directing, photography, sculpting and mixed-media art.  But as a woman of the modern world, I was also able to study the liberal arts, such as psychology – a field that greatly interested me at the time.  The courses that Hofstra afforded me were broad and deep. I never felt limited as a student and it allowed me to explore my varied interests.

One of the most formative memories in my life was December 1980 when John Lennon was killed.  I remember I was in studio art class and I had a project due the next day.  At the time I had not done a lot of collage in my art, but felt I should.  I scrapped my current project and used the newspaper articles about his death in my piece. I still have the piece over 35 years later.  It was a life changing moment – both in the history of the world and in my world as an artist.  The experience allowed me to make something good and positive out of a moment of tragedy.  And Hofstra encouraged me to do so.  

Throughout my career, both as a commercial artist and a free-lance fine artist, I continue to be more thankful and proud of the education I received at Hofstra.  As you get older, you start to realize more what is important in your life.  And that is when I decided to give back to Hofstra as a member of the Women in Leadership organization.  I am so proud to see the growth and development of both the Hofstra campus and the caliber of the student body.

I am a firm believer that we all have to do what we can to make Hofstra the best institution it can be.  It doesn’t take a lot – just a commitment.  Everyone can play a part.  Please join me and make your gift to Hofstra’s Day of Giving!