One new person I met this semester.

I have met lots of new people this semester but one in particular that I know will influence my work is my teacher, Ann. I have never really been one to go to office hours, or stay after class to chat with a teacher, or even really reach out beyond the usual hand raising in class. But, from the very beginning of the semester, even just after our very first class, I knew I wanted to talk to her one on one at some point during the semester. It isn't often that teachers genuinely have their student's best interest in mind, or that they take the time to listen to each student's personal story or situation and respond accordingly. However, Ann made a point to give personalized feedback to her students after each assignment, and the feedback was key. My design work and experience aren't necessarily what I would call conventional, so it's been difficult for me to research and find out how to go about certain things in terms of my job and future, because there aren't tons of people out there that are in the exact same boat as I am, and therefore, don't have the most relevant information and feedback to guide me. Talking to my teacher not only helped me get a better perspective on how to go about what I was facing at the time, but it also opened my mind to other possibilities and ideas that I hadn't really considered before talking to her. Not being in the actual Graphic Design program anymore, I don't have the privilege of working directly with and being surrounded by graphic designers. In my job, I'm the only one. In my classes, there are a mix of people with various design focuses. It definitely helped being able to talk to someone with graphic design work experience and insight. I now know how important it is to put myself out there and reach out to people to try to get more experience and knowledge beyond what I'm doing now. I look forward to what's ahead for me and thank my teacher for helping me get a better understanding of what's out there.