“My journey to RISD began when I had relocated back to Massachusetts in 2002 after many years of school focused on non-creative study. I was working at a software company and wanted to explore more of my creative side. After attending an open house, I signed up for the Interior Design certificate program the next day.
RISD was a whole new world to me. I had come from a traditional university classroom setting, so the studio spaces were a fun surprise. Hand rendering was probably the most challenging because it was completely new to me. Figuring out perspective and angles and creating three-dimensional room drawings was a difficult process, but I was so proud of any drawing I could create after learning the necessary skills.
Since graduating with my certificate from RISD CE and unlocking my creative potential, I went on to gain a Digital Photography professional certificate from another university years later. I have been a professional brand photographer for over 10 years now. When COVID-19 hit, all on-location in-person photography sessions stopped, but I built a home studio and started marketing product photography services to my brand clients.
To this day I still remember my instructor, David Paolino, talking about getting work as a designer and emphasizing that any job where we could learn sales techniques would greatly benefit any future design position. This advice is true for so many professionals and industries!”
—Nicole Bedard, RISD CE student
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