Four years of experience put to use in a project that could change lives. Senior graphic design students have the opportunity to make an impact in the South Austin community. Their talent could impact children who attend the new Baylor Scott & White hospital clinic for years to come.

Graphic design teacher Judith Cooper was contacted this year by a representative from Baylor Scott & White with the opportunity to design the pediatric examination room for their new South Austin clinic.

“They’re new in the neighborhood and they reached out to Bowie because their office is new and asked if we had any students who would be interested in the project,” Cooper said.

Students that have been in graphic design all four years had creative freedom to design the way the room will be decorated. They drew ideas from their own experiences as a kid and as a designer to help them come up with ideas.

“We went for a vibrant color scheme and designed it around cute animals to make kids feel comfortable,” senior Jared Letourneau said. “I know kids are afraid of the dark, so we went for more bright styles.

After much deliberation and collaboration between the graphic design students, a representative from Baylor Scott & White showed up to hear the ideas. It was the seniors’ job to pitch their ideas and ultimately sell their product.

“We gained experience in speech and the way you want to present yourself for a pitch, trying to get your ideas across,” senior Jarett Stinson said. “I thought the best way to get someone interested in yours is to make them laugh or show comedy, so I tried to make myself as funny as possible to capture their attention. Next thing you know, our project got picked.”

While in the end, the seniors landed the project, it wasn’t easy getting there. Preparation and practice were required to pitch their idea.

“Preparing what I wanted to say was hard because we had to make a slide show to present to Baylor, Scott and White,” Stinson said. “That was difficult because I had to figure out what I wanted to tell them, and it was difficult for me to get an actual set speech down. The hard part wasn’t making the project. It was the new part of presenting your project to other people and trying to sell the product.”

It became apparent for students as they progressed into the project that this wasn’t like anything else they had ever done. This was something different entirely, according to Letourneau .

“It’s very different from school projects because you’re just trying to get an A on the project,” Letourneau said. “With this, you’re trying to sell the product, so you have to go that extra mile to make sure they’re interested.”

While the seniors were focused on making an impact of their own, little did they know the impact the project was having on them.

“It felt like our first internship,” Letourneau said. “Being seniors, it’s like taking our first steps to going to college and being on our own like an adult. It’s an early step for us to feel what it’s like to have a real job in the real world as a graphic designer. It helps us get experience. It helped us mature as people because it was a real life situation.”

For seniors, this project is one of the last that they will participate in while still in high school.

“Once you become a senior, you get a confidence boost,” Letourneau said. “You come out of your shell and you want to do bigger things.”

Collaborating with Baylor Scott & White gives students real life experiences, according to Stinson.

“We’ve enjoyed collaborating with another group off campus,” Cooper said. “It’s also nice to have something that’s real. It allows students to give back to the community. There’s a feeling of accomplishment, a feeling of giving back to the community.”