Hayden Splawn and Valerie Salas reflect on their time at AC and working for Student Media.
Memoir of a dropout turned model citizen
By Valerie Salas
Design Editor
My college journey actually started out with a different school and degree. After high school, I started my college career at WT as a marketing major, determined to stifle my creative aspirations. I thought that to be successful, you had to choose a sensible career and not the one you enjoy—funny how 18-year-olds seem to have all the answers to the world. After two semesters of pretending I wasn’t creative, I decided to drop out of university and take a gap year. Three months later, I started at Amarillo College and saying this college changed my life is simply a major understatement. I started taking art classes and couldn’t stop learning and absorbing all the topics I had previously pushed down. A year into my schooling I joined student media and started to truly flourish. The connections, on job learning and trips to deepen my knowledge truly changed me. I now have my AAS in graphic design, many contacts in the creative world and a group backing my every move. The point of this story isn’t to join student media or switch degrees, but to simply follow your heart because you truly never know where you can go. I have been honored to serve as Design Director for both The Ranger and The Current as well as Treasurer for Active Minds and encourage you to go out and find people who believe in you. I now know what I want to pursue after graduation, and that is because of the people at AC. I know it’s cheesy but ‘start here, go anywhere’ truly represents Amarillo College.
Command+Z can’t undo this tearful farewell
By Hayden Splawn
Design Editor
As my time as Design Editor for The Ranger newspaper and editor of The Current magazine comes to an end, I’m feeling a mix of gratitude, pride and a little bit of disbelief at how quickly it’s all gone by. Working with AC Student Media has definitely been one of the most rewarding experiences of my time at Amarillo College. Every late-night tweaking layouts, every unexpected typo, every last-minute change taught me something new, and not just about design, but about patience, teamwork, communication and rolling with the punches. I want to thank the entire Ranger and Current staff for trusting me with the look and feel of our work. It’s been such a privilege to visually help tell the stories that matter to our campus and our community. Every newspaper presented new challenges, and every solution was a reminder that good design isn’t just about making things look good, it’s about making ideas clearer, stronger and more memorable. To the next Student Media editors, take risks, experiment constantly and don’t stop bugging other designers for feedback and advice, no matter what stage you’re at. Leaving is bittersweet, but I know AC Student Media will continue to grow and thrive. Thank you all for the lessons, the memories, and the opportunity to be part of something bigger than myself.
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