Julia DeCaire

julia.decaire@mu.edu

portfolio

Reflecting on my college career I am flooded with a feeling of personal growth and accomplishment. Both in and outside of the classroom I have learned so much that has attributed to who I am today; a well-rounded, intelligent, and loving individual.  Despite the unending list of positive experiences I attribute to Marquette University, there are two missing elements that have left voids in the fulfillment of my college experience.

          First, I fell in love with art in high school.  Before and after school one would most likely find me in the ceramics studio absorbed in my work. I felt happiest with a layer of clay on my clothes.  When it came time to research colleges, the importance of having an art program was somehow buried beneath the ideal size, location, academics and financial support that Marquette University offered. Therefore, I headed to Milwaukee and attended Marquette University, a school without an art program. I have missed art very much but became attached to the Marquette community. I have taken a few art courses over the years at a community college and at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design; however, these have only added to my desire for further opportunities to develop my skills and vent my creativity. 

          In addition, I always planned on studying abroad. I recognize that removing one’s self from his or her familiar surroundings and placing them in a new environment allows for new ideas and perspectives that cannot truly be had any other way. Due to a few changes in my major and other commitments at home, I was unable to spend a semester abroad. I feel a great loss when I picture my life without the experience of studying abroad.  While I believe that any complete change of scenery is bound to change one’s life, Italy is soaked in so much beauty and achievement I can only imagine how greatly it could affect me. 

          Although I plan on walking during graduation in May, I will have six elective credits pending which are to be completed during the summer. I would be so thrilled if I am given the opportunity to attend Studio Art Centers International (SACI) and fulfill not only these credits but experience the opportunity of a lifetime. I know that given this chance I will indeed make the most of this program and take full advantage of all it has to offer.