How I found CCAD

by Cailey Tervo

Ask anyone on campus how they ended up there, and you'll hear a different story. My “why I do art” story is pretty typical. I grew up watching animated movies and cartoons; not soon after I discovered it was someone’s job to make those cartoons. When I got into high school, I learned that I could have that job. And as senior year approached, the pressure was on all students to choose a career and a school. But not on me. I knew that I wanted to go to art school.

Problem was, all the art schools I knew of were on the coasts. I lived in the Midwest, and my parents didn’t want me going too far away for college. I did a lot of digging, visited both art colleges and public colleges; and none of them seemed to be the right fit. I remember the day I discovered CCAD. It was a rainy, cold, fall day and I was getting a ride home from work. I was vividly upset that I wasn’t having any luck on my college search, and as a last resort I decided to simply Google “art schools in Ohio.” Columbus College of Art and Design was the first result.

As soon as I clicked on “view student work,” I knew I had found the right fit. The quality of the illustration work blew me out of the water, and I was so excited at the prospect of learning how to make illustration that was just as good.

I scheduled my first visit a few weeks later. While CCAD is still in the Midwest, the Midwest is still pretty big. It was a six-hour drive from my home in central Illinois to get there. It was the dead of winter, and when my dad and I arrived on campus it was frigid cold. I didn’t care. As I was given a tour around campus, I was filled with the warm feeling that could only make me think of home. I decided I wanted to come to CCAD.

Cailey is a senior illustrator major, RA, president of the Illustration Student Collective, comic artist, and cat enthusiast. She also probably needs a nap. You can view her work on her website http://caileytervo.com/