Student Spotlight: Harley Stickney
Harley Stickney, a Graphic Design (Art) major from Cullman, Alabama, is in her senior year at JSU. She has served as an officer in her sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi; she currently serves as a JSU Ambassador Administrator and is president of AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) at JSU.

Q: Do you have any hobbies?
A: My hobbies include traveling, attending design conferences, cooking, and blogging/writing.

Q: What is the last book you read?
A: Manifesting Made Easy by Jen Mazer

Q: What is your favorite thing to eat on/off campus?
A: When I lived on campus my first two years, I enjoyed WOW the most. Off-campus, Momma Goldberg’s is my most frequently visited restaurant.

Q: What other clubs/organizations are you involved in?
A: I am also involved in Re-Instating President of Rho Lambda – National Sorority Leadership Recognition Society; I was the most recent Vice President of Administration on the JSU Pan-Hellenic Executive Board; I’m a member of Kappa Pi Art Honor Society, a member and treasurer for Order of Omega – Greek Leadership Honor Society, and a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Q: Why did you decide to come to JSU?
A: I decided to come to JSU for many reasons. JSU offers over 150+ student
organizations to get involved in on campus, which was important to me because I knew I wanted my involvement to carry over from my high school years. I was also interested in the 800+ student job opportunities on campus that work around student schedules. I have held a job on campus since my sophomore year when I became a Gamecock Guide to give tours of my beloved university, and in the fall of 2017, I began working for the Marketing Services department as a student graphic designer for the university; I still work there today. JSU’s art department is also NASAD accredited; attending a school with a highly accredited art program was very important to me. Lastly, the people I met here before I started school had a hand in bringing me here. Everyone was always so nice and helpful, which made me want to be a part of the friendliest campus in the south. JSU really does feel like home to me.

Q: Why did you choose your major?
A: I was one of the yearbook editors during my senior year of high school. The idea of creating something digitally, then transposing it to real life for people to enjoy inspired me to pursue a degree in design. I find it so gratifying when I see someone interacting with something I had the opportunity to make.

Q: What are your post-graduation plans?
A: As a senior preparing to graduate this coming spring 2019, I plan to move north (hopefully to Boston or Cambridge, MA) and work for EF Tours, IBM, Tripadvisor, or iHeart Media company as a marketing graphic designer. I am also interested in layout/publication design, so working with a magazine company is also on my list of things to consider.

Q: Why do you love doing what you do at JSU?
A: I love doing what I do at JSU because I get to help people in so many different aspects of the world, and I get to help recruit future students through some of my programs. Sharing my love for the university is something that I have always enjoyed, and I will continue to advocate for JSU after my time here ends. I have never felt like I made the wrong decision in choosing a college, and my time here has been so well
spent.

Q: What has been the most impactful experience you’ve had as a college
student?
A: I would have to say the most impactful experience I have had as a student here would be when my sorority chose me to represent our chapter in Denver, Colorado, for the National Pan-Hellenic Conference. There, an alumna of Alpha Omicron Pi, Carole Jones from the University of Alabama, was sworn in as NPC chairwoman. One person from each chapter had the opportunity to attend, and I am so honored to have been chosen. I had the opportunity to meet the AOπ International President and many
other women who have led different parts of NPC with grace and poise over the past 100 years. This was inspiring for me in my development as a Pan-Hellenic officer on my own campus.

Q: Can you tell me a little bit about studying abroad?
A: This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Italy for an art-based study abroad. We first visited Venice and from there we went to Ferrara, Florence, Fiesole, Assisi, and Rome. I was able to visit art museums and famous architecture to see paintings and sculptures that I have spent the past few years learning about in all of my classes. I am a frequent traveler, but I have never experienced anything like Italy. I think that being submerged in a new culture is really the only way you can learn and understand different parts of the world. I studied food, culture, art, and people during my trip and made memories that will last a lifetime. If anyone ever gets the chance to study abroad, my advice is to just go for it. Take the time to research and study the region and educate yourself on new topics. Travel is always worth the money it takes to get there, and there is no better way to learn about something than to go out and see it for
yourself.

Q: What is the coolest part about being in a sorority? A: I think the coolest thing about being in a sorority is all the opportunity it brings. There are opportunities to apply for scholarships, network with alumni, improve leadership skills, raise money for local and national philanthropies, gain a sisterhood, and stand up for what it means to be a woman. I am the oldest child in my family, so I was so excited to get my “big sister” my first year of college. Now, I have my own two “littles,” and I am
so proud of them and all the things they have achieved in their time here. My sorority also raises money for the Arthritis Foundation on a national level, and we do “Gamecocks Give Backpack” with the JSU football team every August where we donate backpacks full of supplies to schools in Calhoun County. The opportunities I have been given through my sorority have been rewarding in so many ways. I can’t imagine who I
would be without my organization to bring me out of my shell and lead me to experience life in beautiful new ways.

Q: What about your learning experience in your department gives you the
confidence to take on life after graduation?
A: I believe that my department has taught me the skills needed to be a contender for many design jobs that are out there. I have become comfortable with many programs in the Adobe Creative Suite and have gained the knowledge of what it means to be a creative. I am confident that my professors at JSU have pushed me to do my very best and taught me that even though I will never stop learning, I have learned what works for me.