Demarcus Williams – Graphic Design ’03

During my tenure at the NC State College of Design I was impacted by several women who impacted my experience. Mrs. Marva Motley was like a mother to me and the black students in the College of Design. I spent many days in her office where he she helped me to navigate through the personal, social and academic adjustments that I needed to make in order to graduate.

The administrative staff at that time, Ms. Delsey Avery and Cheryl Eatmon were also very nurturing and were always available to provide assistance when I needed them. On the faculty side, I admired the authenticity of Chandra Cox and was very appreciative of the diverse experiences from my graphic design professors, Dr. Meredith Davis (my advisor), the tough love from Maura Dillon and foresight of Denise Gonzalez-Crisp, who was ahead of her time in relation to her innovative thoughts on the future of Graphic Design. They along with many other professors who were women contributed to my experience as a student in the College of Design and challenged me to fall in love with the process of developing solutions to visually communicate messages in a complex, diverse and rapidly changing world.

I am honored to give each of them their flowers for helping me become the professional I am today.