For Amalia Hidalgo, choosing a college was the easy part. Not only was Union an easy three-hour drive from her home in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, it came with friends pre-made. “In high school, we came to Union all the time for music and sports,” she said. “I had made a bunch of friends before I ever applied. I just thought this was the perfect place to go.”
Choosing a major was tougher. “I wanted to be a veterinarian, but I was intimidated by the tests I would have to take in science classes,” Hidalgo said. “I am happy doing a nice, lengthy project, but when it comes to memorization for tests, it’s like everything I learned flies out the window.”
She loved art and knew a degree in graphic design would be heavy on projects and light on tests, but that came with its own anxiety-inducing challenge: computers. “I could barely turn on Netflix,” she laughs. “It was a struggle at first, but between my teachers and extra courses on YouTube, I came to really enjoy both the art and the computers.”
Her favorite class, Vector Illustration, is a perfect example of the blending of creative expression and technology that has become second nature to Hidalgo. “I’ve always drawn with pencil on paper,” Hidalgo said. “Now I can really express myself in digital illustrations too. Before I even knew about graphic design, I wanted to illustrate children’s books, and this class has opened so many doors for me.”
She is now using the digital techniques she’s learned to illustrate a children’s book written by Devin Alexander, Union’s former student experience coordinator. Her work with Alexander comprised the core of her senior art show in the McClelland Gallery.
While still a student, Hidalgo has gained professional experience working in the university’s Integrated Marketing Communications department as well as for Mūs, an on-campus boutique creative agency lead by students and faculty. Her portfolio now includes real projects that go far beyond her coursework.
“The faculty in the Art and Design Program are so informative and helpful, and they give us so many opportunities to grow professionally,” she said. “I wouldn’t have been able to get those same opportunities at some of the other colleges I looked at.”
“I’ve stayed at Union because I felt it had the best culture to be in,” she continued. “When I first came here, I was super shy. I didn’t want to talk to anybody, but people were talking to me. That helped me burst out of my bubble and reach for bigger things.” Those bigger things included several leadership positions, such as serving as the Gymnaires team captain and the Student Association vice president for public relations.
“The way to make friends is to get involved,” she said. Her advice to new students is “Go to the events on campus. When you see people in the dorm going to an event, just go with them. And join teams and music groups — whatever you have a talent for.”
She also urges first-year students to put the life coach the university provides to good use. “Use your advisor to your advantage,” Hidalgo said. “Don’t wait. Do it now. My advisor my freshman year always knew who I needed to talk to for any problem. He knew who could help me write a paper, how to make a résumé and how to get my grades up. The sooner you learn how to use the resources available to you, the less worried you’ll be for the rest of your college career.”