Colleen DiGeronimo, a Hawthorne High School alumnae, graduated in 2005. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art/Graphic design from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City in 2008. She then took additional design classes at New York University (NYU), pursued her master’s degree at Pratt Institute, and is now engaged in a career in graphic design at New World Group, a full service design agency based out of Secaucus, New Jersey.
In DiGeronimo’s high school career at HHS, she took two computer electives, in her freshman and sophomore years that she says, “peaked my interest in expressing my creativity digitally.” In her senior year, DiGeronimo was the layout editor for the yearbook and took graphic design as an elective. “Because of those experiences and the support of my teachers at HHS, I graduated knowing that I wanted to explore graphic design as a career,” says DiGeronimo.
When asked what a graphic designer does, DiGeronimo replied, “I think that all designers are communicators and problem solvers. They work with a client, find a solution, and communicate those solutions visually. There are many different levels of graphic design (print, web, branding, packaging, advertising — just to name a few), and that’s what appealed to me about the field. One day I’ll be working on a corporate logo and website, the next I’ll be coming up with an advertising campaign, and the next I’ll be making a poster for an upcoming movie or music event. Every project is a new challenge and every day is different.”
DiGeronimo cites designing two e-cards for Citi Private Bank with the Baseline Design team in New York City as one of her landmark projects because it earned her team the silver and bronze awards at the 15th Annual FCS (Financial Communications Society) Portfolio Awards. She also recently rebranded the Kubert School with the JhChoi design team which she says gave the school “an updated, modern logo, stationery, and redesigned website.” DiGeronimo’s work can be seen on her website at www.colleendigeronimo.com.
When asked how she feels about her time here at HHS, DiGeronimo replied earnestly, “I often think about all of the good memories I had at HHS. I made lifelong friends through the classes I took and the sports I participated in. HHS also gave me a great foundation for college and my career.”