Marci Rau ’24

Marci displays one of her latest works in progress.

It’s no secret that Rosary’s alumnae are doing wonderful things in college! Class of 2024’s Marci Rau is pursuing a graphic design major with a film minor at South Dakota State University. Marci has gotten the opportunity to create some really cool art projects, which she was willing to share.

Q: What are the benefits of majoring in graphic design?

A: Graphic design opens so many doors for artists to have a successful career. There are tons of different paths for graphic designers to go down, like animation, game design, fashion design, digital marketing, and so many more. Graphic design is perfect for people who want to pursue a career in art, but are worried about not being able to have a steady income.

Q: What do you like about having a film minor?

A: My absolute favorite thing in the world is watching movies (I even work at a movie theater) so getting to watch movies as often as I want, and call it “homework” is so fun for me. In the long run, I might want to pursue a career in animation, so studying film creates good foundational knowledge.

Q: How do you think the arts programs at Rosary prepared you for your time at South Dakota State University?

A: Taking AP Studio Art at Rosary definitely prepared me for the quick turnaround time for assignments. I had no idea that I would have drawings and paintings due two to four days after they were assigned, but AP Art prepared me for that. Additionally, Rosary also prepared me to think creatively. In college, there aren’t very strict guidelines as to what a finished piece should look like, so creative thinking is super important. My AP Art class combined with my time on the Royal Reporter, and even some English classes, definitely made me a more creative thinker.

Q: What’s the student life like/what do you like to do in your free time?

A: My free time consists of watching a lot of movies with friends, going to club meetings, attending weekly Mass services, and spending time shopping downtown. I absolutely love living on campus, especially because I can literally just go get Starbucks whenever I want!

Q: What is your favorite art project you’ve done so far?

A: My school has a homecoming tradition called Hobo Day. Hobo Day consists of a parade in the morning and a

football game in the afternoon. This year, the entire freshman class of the School of Design got to walk in the parade in their wearable designs. My group and I chose to make our suit look like a suit of armor. This was definitely my favorite project because I got to paint in a new and interesting style, and I got to wear it in the parade!

Q: Do you think the arts program at Rosary encouraged you to pursue your passion for art beyond high school?

A: Definitely! The AP Art class literally mimicked what my classes are like now in college, so the transition was really easy. Also, the counselors were very supportive. Mrs. Crowley helped me find colleges within my budget that had the exact programs I was interested in.

Q: Do you plan on pursuing art beyond college/what career field do you plan on going into?

A: The plan is to do something with art in the future! My biggest goal is to work at Pixar Animation Studios, but my fallback plan is product/marketing design, which is also really interesting to me.

Q: Did the Royal Reporter help prepare you and/or are you writing in college?

A: Definitely! I’m not taking any English classes right now, but I have to do a lot of writing for my Sustainability class. RR helped prepare me for having to write about research, which is super important in college. And obviously, I still read the RR every week.

The Royal Reporter is so excited to see Marci’s next projects. Keep up the great work, Marci!