Alumni Update: Interview with Amanda Booher
Amanda graduated in 2007 and is currently the Promotions Director for Performing Arts at NDSU. Her website is: http://booheramanda.wixsite.com/graphic-design
You are combining your experiences and opportunities of marketing and graphic design; what is that like?
I love having the opportunity to combine my design knowledge with marketing efforts. I love relationship building and have the chance to work with a different people on different marketing projects. Promoting and designing for the library allowed me to work with different departments on campus and various people within the library to promote the various services and events.
How do you like working at NDSU?
I absolutely love working in higher education. I worked about six years in a corporate environment and have since learned to love the flexibility that academia offers. Every day is different and I have opportunities to collaborate on projects with students, faculty, and staff every semester. I recently designed a book cover and special insert for the NDSU Press department and the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection. The book, Prairie Mosaic, recently won an award in North Dakota and is continuing on to the national level. I also have the opportunity to grow as a person and as a professional through Staff Senate, a governing body for the staff. I currently serve as President-Elect and next year will be the Staff Senate President. I never thought I would be in a role like this, but I have embraced the challenge and the opportunities that come with it.
What have you been working on lately?
I have been spending a lot of time working on marketing materials for the spring career fairs at NDSU. This includes writing content and updating the Career Center’s website, designing advertisements for print and web usage, and coming up with creative email marketing campaigns to be distributed to students and employers who might attend.
What’s a project that you have been most proud of?
Last year I got to work with a group of people on a grant project celebrating 100 years of Pulitzer Prizes. North Dakota has won three Pulitzer Prizes in journalism and I was in charge of the display panels and marketing pieces to promote a corresponding panel discussion event. Marketing collateral included content for the web and social media, posters, email marketing, and bookmarks. Designing the panels to represent each city’s unique journalism efforts while keeping the display cohesive was a fun design challenge. The display panels traveled to Bismarck, North Dakota and were on display during an event there as well. From working on writing the grant to assisting in research and finally completing the design, this project was very rewarding to be a part of.
You are very active in your community; what have you been doing in the last few years within Fargo in terms of community building?
As I have previously mentioned, I love relationship building and with it comes networking. Fargo is a magical place full of support, pleasantry, and risk takers. In 2015 I was on the planning team for TEDxFargo and the past two years I have been an organizer for Startup Weekend Fargo. I love supporting people and their ideas and contributing to their experience by volunteering my time organizing events. My husband and I own and created a young adult kickball league in town called Agassiz Athletics. Creating this league has allowed us to meet and connect with people in a new and exciting way while also allowing us to enjoy competitive and silly game play.
What is it like going from a small town in Ohio to a bigger city in North Dakota?
I grew up in a small town, Troy, Ohio which has a population of about 25,000 people, went to BG with approximately 35,000 people, before moving to Cincinnati with approximately 2 million people. Now I live in Fargo, North Dakota with about 200,000 people and I think it’s the perfect size city. Fargo is big enough where you can run to a store and you likely won’t see anyone you know, but small enough that you can connect with people and find that you also know a handful of other people in common. I never thought I would live in Fargo, but I absolutely love it and have fully embraced the Midwest Nice appeal.
What drew you to pursue design?
When I was in my junior year of high school a former student visited my art class to showcase her current profession as a graphic designer. I always excelled in my art classes and enjoyed working in different mediums, however, I never really thought about pursuing graphic design until that moment. After that I was extremely excited and motivated to pursue my degree as a graphic designer and couldn’t wait to graduate high school and attend college.
Why did you choose BGSU to study design?
I knew I wanted to study graphic design and go to a school with a fine arts program. The city of Bowling Green was similar to the size of the town I grew up in so I knew I would be able to acclimate easily. Bowling Green State University offers students with the unique learning opportunities and experiences I wanted to have while I was in college including student organizations, work-study jobs, and a well rounded degree.
What advice would you give for students currently in the program?
My advice for current students in the program is to keep working hard and pursue every opportunity to the fullest. It’s amazing how life has a way of connecting you with people, places, and opportunities you would least expect. After graduation I have had a lot of unique job opportunities that have shaped my career and me as a person. Use LinkedIn to build your professional profile online, employers will look at it and gain an idea of who you are.
Interviewed by Ashley Jagielski