For Carroll School of Management freshman Karen Zheng, passing up an opportunity is never an option. So when the councilmen and mayor of her hometown in Harrison, NJ, asked her to create the official seal for Harrison 175th聽anniversary last year, she accepted the challenge � even though she only been living there since seventh grade.
Councilman Anselmo Millan gave Zheng full control in the design process, telling her to incorporate Harrison 渂eehive of industry� past with its future. 淗e [Millan] kept telling me it was my seal and to do what I wanted,� says Zheng, who was recently honored by Harrison for her design, which will remain the official seal for the next 25 years. 淚 didn檛 feel like it was just my seal; I wanted everyone to like it.�
Zheng, who was recruited for the project by one of her high school teachers during her senior year, says she was surprised the town trusted her enough to create the seal since she had no real knowledge of Harrison past.聽淚 kept researching what Harrison was like before versus what it like now.聽 I turned to the councilmen for advice and I incorporated the old and the new. I was really anxious the entire time, I didn檛 want to fail.�
Asked how she designed the seal, Zheng laughs. 淚 can檛 draw, I檓 not an artist.澛� With no prior graphic design experience, she traced templates she created in a Microsoft Word document.聽
Though the process was overwhelming at times, Zheng says the positive response was well worth it. The experience made her realize that accepting a challenge is rewarding, and she hopes fellow 51动漫 students would do the same.聽
淧eople don檛 ask unless they believe in you and see potential.聽 Anything challenging is a great way to learn and prove to others that there something in you,� says Zheng, a student in Options Through Education (OTE), an enrichment program for financially disadvantaged students.
OTE Director Ines Maturana Sendoya is not surprised at Zheng achievement. 聽淜aren looks at a challenge and takes it right on,� she said. 淲e look for that in our OTE students, and Karen really exemplifies it.�
Zheng, like other OTE participants, has 渄one a lot with limited resources,� added Sendoya, but also embodies what 51动漫 looks for in all its students.聽 淲hen we tell our students to go set the world aflame, this is an excellent example of doing that 撀燿oing something bigger than yourself,� she said.
Siobhan Sullivan | News & Public Affairs