Five students in the Graphic Design/Media Arts program at
Southeast Community College took home 10 awards at AIGA Nebraska's
SHOW 2015 Exhibition Nov. 14.
The event took place at Kaneko in Omaha. Elizabeth Vornbrock,
instructor in SCC's program and current vice president of AIGA
Nebraska, also was announced as the next president of the
organization.
SCC students who captured awards:
Kenneth Beyer, Lincoln, Gold (Promotional Design &
Advertising); Silver (Packaging & Product Design); Silver
(Photography); Bronze (Photography).
Chasity Vodehnal, Grand Island, Silver (Logo & Identity
System).
Ashley Preister, Lindsay, Silver (Corporate Communications);
Silver (Packaging & Product Design).
Molli Houlihan, Lincoln, Bronze (Logo & Identity
System).
Chelsea Honnens, Lincoln, Bronze (Packaging & Product
Design); Bronze (Promotional Design & Advertising).
Sam Rapien, program chair, said the awards won by the students
are evidence of the hard work they are putting into the
program.
"These AIGA medals are really recognition of the quality work
that our students are producing in a wide variety of design
disciplines and helps to validate the strength of our comprehensive
GDMA program," Rapien said. "Events like this do quite a bit to get
more recognition for this program among the design community, which
quickly spreads via word-of-mouth. We have already heard from
several of our beginning students who came to Graphic Design &
Media Arts specifically because they heard that, if you wanted to
learn graphic design, Southeast Community College is the place to
go. Our faculty and students strive to earn that reputation within
the community and hope for it to continue to grow. Recognition like
this certainly helps that aim."
SCC students captured the most medals of any school represented,
including the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of
Nebraska at Omaha, the University of Nebraska at Kearney,
Metropolitan Community College, and the Creative Center. SCC
captured 10 of the 26 awarded for Nebraska.
Rapien also is excited that Vornbrock is becoming the new
president of AIGA Nebraska.
"As the biggest, and really only, national organization for
graphic designers, her becoming our state chapter's president is a
big accomplishment," he said. "I couldn't be more proud of
Elizabeth and our students."
Honnens said she was proud to win two AIGA awards and "represent
my program among many other excellent students and professionals.
People often underestimate the quality of an education that our
community colleges can give, so it was very exciting for our
program to prove itself in a way by bringing home so many
awards."
Honnens receives AIGA
Designing Opportunities Scholarship
Chelsea Honnens, a student in SCC's Graphic Design/Media Arts
program, is the recipient of the AIGA Designing Opportunity
Scholarship provided by the AIGA Nebraska chapter. AIGA is the
national, professional organization for design.
Honnens, a graduate from Lincoln Southwest High School, said she
was very excited to be selected for the scholarship.
"The program I am in is very rigorous, so I am only able to work
one day a week," Honnens said. "Having the extra money was a
wonderful blessing."
Last year AIGA Nebraska announced the first Designing
Opportunity Scholarship. The AIGA website says, "Periodically,
students and emerging designers need funds to help further their
craft. This scholarship was created to help fulfill that need by
providing $500 to help benefit the education path of their choice.
Any form of design is eligible, let it be web or print design,
architecture or engineering, artist or builder . . . the
opportunities are vast."
Last year, two students received the scholarship.
As an added bonus, each recipient will receive a one-year AIGA
membership or renewal.