MASD Program Celebrates Class of 2021

Furman’s Master of Arts in Strategic Design celebrated the graduation and achievements of the class of 2021 this past December.  After graduation, several students already have their plans set on taking some amazing roles around the country with more being placed as we type! Here are just a few of their stories!

Abby McElmurray- Designer at Endeavor

I am excited to share that following by graduation from the Master of Strategic Design at Furman University program, I will be joining the creative team at Endeavor in NYC as a designer starting January 2022! I am beyond humbled to be a part of this amazingly talented team and company that guides their clients through the ever changing entertainment, sports, and fashion industries. It has been a dream of mine to work with visionaries, icons, champions, and leading brands in the media and entertainment industry and I am seeing it come true!

I graduated with knowledge that stretches far beyond the confinements of design from the melting pot of students with various educational backgrounds. Now being a designer at one of the top entertainment and media companies in the country, if not the world, I am indebted to this program, my professors and my mentors for applying pressure, pushing me and always believing in me as a creative. Special thanks to Marta Lanier, Ross McClain, Hank Richardson, Elizabeth Kelley, Brennan Holloway, Brooke Southerland, MC Jiang, and James Harrill for their support, opinions and time throughout my graduate studies. All of you believed in me and molded me as a designer and I will forever be grateful.

This program is not for the faint of heart. It’s grueling, exhausting and you will get burnt out. But what makes this program worth it is getting to the summit and looking back, seeing the classmates that carried you at points in the journey, the roadblocks you faced and overcame, as well as the times you flourished and surprised even yourself with your capabilities. This program is for those who dream of a creative career and for those who are not afraid to put in the work to achieve it.

Alex Martens – Advertising Coordinator at Taco Bell

This weekend I celebrated the completion of my Master of Arts in Strategic Design from Furman University in collaboration with M.AD School of Ideas at Portfolio Center. Earning this degree during a pandemic was nothing short of a challenge but this past year and a half has been full of growth. I am beyond thankful for those who have impacted my journey through both my undergrad and graduate studies.

In a turn of events, the COVID-19 Pandemic took my life as a student athlete, chewed it up and spit it back in my face. Luckily, I was able to switch my direction from athlete to advertising. Through A LOT of late nights and much needed self-discovery, I found myself dreaming of a career I thought I’d outgrown. And before I knew it I was a year into art direction and design program learning from art directors and designers from some of the biggest agencies in the country. Teaching me more than I could imagine about the industry and how to be my unique self in an ever conforming world.

It wasn’t easy… but it was worth it. I’m forever thankful for what I learned and how I grew during the last year and a half. Opening my mind up to what a career in advertising could look like brought me back to my 16-year-old dream. And I get to live it out everyday as I continue my career with Taco Bell as an Advertising Coordinator. Working with the best of the best and getting to experience things I didn’t think were possible. I’ll never be able to say thank you enough to the people a long the way that helped make this dream possible.

I look forward to continue growing into the woman I was made to be. Living an actual dream!

Mira Carroll- Brand Designer at New Story

I’m thrilled to share that following my Master’s graduation this weekend, I will start working with a phenomenal nonprofit organization called New Story in Atlanta, GA. New Story pioneers solutions to end global homelessness, and their team harnesses an unwavering commitment to social impact work. As a Brand Designer, I’ll be working with Katie Watford to help shape the future of how the world interacts with and perceives New Story. I’m beyond grateful and excited to start this work!!

Bethany Knapp- Designer at BCG BrightHouse

During my undergraduate years, I fell in love with Sociology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality studies. But I could never quite shake the feeling that the designer’s pen belonged in my hand. When the pandemic cut my senior year short, I decided to take a leap of faith and see how I might combine my two passions in my future career. With one collegiate graphic design course under my belt, limited technical knowledge and a blend of wild nerves and hope, I enrolled in the MASD program.

The next eighteen months were an excavation of sorts in which I unearthed my capabilities, my designer’s eye, and most importantly, countless values for my career and personal life. From designing an old west, all-women rodeo and country music festival to a glamorous sex toy subscription box, I found the intersection where my design thinking and passion for social impact could cultivate belonging and meaning—all through a lens of playfulness and unending creativity.

I am elated to share that following the completion of an amazing fall internship with the Atlanta team, I will be joining BCG BrightHouse next month as Designer! I first set foot in the BH office as a college senior with a different career path in mind, and after hearing about their purpose-driven mission to help brands increase their social impact, I knew I’d found the intersection where my passion for social change and design skills could beautifully combine. As I wrap up my Master of Strategic Design at Furman University next week, I’ve got nothing but endless gratitude as this journey comes full circle.

A special thank you x100 to MIKE LEAR, Mary Elizabeth Morse Davis, Jeff Harter, Alanna Minor, and many, many more who have so generously invested in me these past few months. You have all made me feel valued and encouraged to bring my full self to this team and I just couldn’t be prouder to rep the BrightHouse yellow with you all!

As a designer at BCG Brighthouse, I have the joy of showing up to work every morning at a company that encourages playtime on the office trampolines and PacMan machine on the off-hours, and helping brands increase their social impact on the on-hours. I sit on the floor with my coworkers to storyboard films via crayons and construction paper, collaborate with the brightest and kindest writers, strategists, art directors, and producers around. I’m endlessly grateful for the mentor and peer relationships that were forged. My education’s insistence on playfulness, intent on meaningful design, and love of the color pink will always be with me.

Maggie Weidner- Designer at Compass

I am proud to share that I have officially earned my Masters in Strategic Design this past weekend from Furman University’s Masters Program partnered with Miami Ad School @ Portfolio Center. Thank you to the teachers and mentors who have encouraged me through this process. The immense amount of support, knowledge and understanding has shaped me as a designer while preparing for a successful career ahead.

I am also excited to share that I will be joining Compass and their creative team starting the new year! I am thrilled to be a part of such a wonderful and talented company. I can’t wait to grow and learn as I begin this new chapter.

Maura Dupré- Junior Designer at Voyage Communications Group, LLC

I’m thrilled to announce that after the completion of my Master’s degree in December, I will be joining the team at Voyage Communications Group, LLC as a junior designer this week! I’m so grateful for this exciting opportunity and the amazing mentors at Miami Ad School and Furman University that have helped me along the way. 🧡👏🏻 #newjob

Emily Pruitt- Designer at Ansley Real Estate

I think everyone around me since I was young always knew I would fall into a creative role besides myself. From a young age I was drawing, painting, taking photographs, and making crafts.

And here I am years down the road, a bachelors in studio art, and a masters in strategic design, taking my first job as a designer for a national real estate company; all things that if you had told me I would be doing a few years ago I would have thought you were crazy. However, this journey has shaped me and taught me to embrace every aspect of myself that was ingrained in me from such a young age.

This program showed me that I could use the power of love and empathy to create pieces and impact the world in ways that not even a doctor could do. It pushed me beyond my limits, the amount of times I got knocked down are probably greater than when I succeeded. But when I did succeed, they were the biggest victories of all. I am forever grateful for all of the insanely talented, creative instructors I have had along the way, especially Hank Richardson for showing me that being a little crazy is a good thing. Never be afraid to be a little different.

Joanna Cotter- Branded Environments Designer at Perkins & Will

One of the biggest lessons I learned was that there’s beauty in my individual journey; beauty in my walk with the unknown. At the beginning of this program, I struggled with comparison. What if my work wasn’t good enough? What if I wasn’t good enough? These questions carved out a path of self-doubt where I thought the answer was fitting in; but, it was exactly the opposite.

After months of reflection and hours of conversations with my advisors, I realized that adversity was not a detour in my journey, but a part of my path. Throughout this rigorous program, I encountered obstacles, I made mistakes, and I felt lost within myself. However, I also overcame challenges, designed from my mistakes, and learned to trust my voice. I started to speak and design my truth through projects that empowered me, and I finally understood how beautiful it was to walk a path that no one had ever gone before.

As I begin a new journey in my career, I plan to walk forward with a fresh perspective and apply the knowledge, wisdom, and vulnerability that I’ve gained. I choose to keep my journey both interesting and challenging, as it’s mine to find, define, and walk

We celebrate the achievements and the abilities of all MASD graduates.  This blogpost will be updated as more students go on to bigger and better things in the world of design! View our celebratory video featuring student photos and work below.