Senior Allison Wheeler has always been a creative person. Growing up she loved to draw and take art classes. Both of her grandmas were really creative, too. So for her, it simply made sense to have a love for art.
In fact, when Wheeler was in fourth grade, she did a project about what she wanted to be when she grew up. Wheeler had already decided that she was going to be an artist.
Wheeler had always thought about art as a career mainly in the form of interior design. A few of her inspirations include Nichole Curtis from “Rehab Addicts” and Joanna Gains from “Fixer Upper.” However, Northwestern does not offer interior design as a major, which left Wheeler undecided.
She found herself at the Compass Center for Career & Calling trying to find direction. There, she was given the idea to major in graphic design. Based on all of that, it makes you wonder why Wheeler chose NW.
A lot of what drew Wheeler to NW was the fact that her siblings came here, so in her mind, there was nowhere else to go. Wheeler was also looking for a small Christian college.
“Faith is important to me and I want to be able to grow,” Wheeler said. “God creates each person individually, and I am constantly learning about myself and who God created me to be.”
Another important success in her college experience was the relationships she formed.
“I made a ton of new friends and I have gotten to know a lot of people,” Wheeler said.
Some of her favorite moments with her friends have been making Christmas videos with her wing mates in Fern all four years. So not only has she been able to grow in her faith journey but also in her relational skills with people.
Other great benefits of being at a small school are how involved Wheeler can be. She shared a number of different activities that she enjoys and is grateful for, including being involved in one act plays and RUSH, writing for the Beacon and being a student ambassador and a resident assistant.
Wheeler grew up dancing, so she enjoyed the oppurtunity to participate in RUSH. She performed her freshman and sophomore years and then she had the opportunity to choreograph her junior year.
“I loved being able to see the dance come together as a choreographer and a dancer in the piece” Wheeler said. “The ladies in my group had minimal experience with clogging, but their tap experience helped them, and they did an amazing job.”
Coming to NW allowed Wheeler to discover her true passions and who God created her to be.
Like most art major seniors at NW, Wheeler has been thinking about her senior project, which she knows very little about at this point.
She was informed last year that they might not have a show because of the pandemic and that it might simply be a portfolio showcase. However, Wheeler was quick to point out that if she is given the chance to do a show, she has ideas in mind.
Wheeler shared advice that she had for others.
“Don’t compare yourself to other people when creating art,” Wheeler said. “It makes you feel insignificant.”
Wheeler wanted to emphasize that everyone has their own way of creating art and talent within them. If they simply base things off of others works, it will never be good enough.
“It is helpful to borrow ideas, but you ultimately have to go with your passions and be your own creative person,” Wheeler said.
A couple of other pieces of advice from Allison include: “Don’t be afraid to embarrass yourself,” and “Live life and have fun (while following the rules).”
Allison’s plans after she graduates are very up in the air at this point in time, but ideally, she would love to have her own interior design business in the future.
