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Dana-Olivia Mohr, 2022.
Dana-Olivia Mohr
Hometown: Augsburg, Germany
Major: Visual Communication + Graphic Design
(known as Communications Design in Germany)
Artist website: danaoliviamohr.myportfolio.com
In May of 2022 Dana completed a year at OHIO as an exchange student. Serving as the student graphic designer in the College of Fine Arts Marketing & Communications team, Dana designed social media graphics, event flyers, posters, and event branding materials as well as designed and created the weekly Fine Arts events email newsletter published each Monday throughout the academic year. Dana brought a high level of enthusiasm and a fresh, thoughtful design perspective to everything she touched - and she was an invaluable part of the team.
Now back in Germany, Dana shares her thoughts looking back on her experience at OHIO.
What are your next steps or plans for the future?
My plan is to go to Alexandria for the summer and maybe also for the fall and do an internship there. I’d like to do an internship in Hamburg, Germany, because it is the Artistic Metropole in Germany. After that I am going to go back to Augsburg to graduate.
What was an important “ah-ha” moment at OHIO?
I was put into a Capstone Class as an Exchange student even though I wasn’t graduating. The class was called Advanced Infographics and I had only done one infographic before that. There were graduate students and only seniors in this class and I thought “I am never going to keep up with them” and I was super scared to fail. But then as the semester progressed, I noticed that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, and I worked hard and the weight lifted off my shoulders when I realized that the work paid off. At the end, I got an A and I even got a little class intern prize at the end!
Why did you choose Ohio University?
I did not really choose Ohio. I didn’t really know where Ohio was or that it was surrounded by corn fields and not much else. I initially wanted to do a semester abroad in Bologna, Italy. But I saw a post that Ohio University was offering to take an exchange student for no student fees, and when you see a chance to study in America, you don’t say no to that.
So I applied and got the spot. After that, I started to look into Ohio University and Ohio and the town of Athens etc. Lucky coincidence I guess!
What was the hardest hill (challenge) you had to climb here?
The hardest challenge for me was everything. I wasn’t familiar with the work ethic and the pace of classes. Nor was I familiar with the amount of work I’d have to do while studying. That was a big adjustment for me and there were times when I thought I couldn’t handle it anymore. And, on top of that, there was home sickness, the start of the Russian war—which is happening just one country away from home — loneliness, etc. But all of that was just a small part of my wonderful stay at OHIO.
What are your favorite memories?
My favorite memories are all of the new things I experienced, the sports events, seeing cheerleaders for the first time and having super nice teachers and advisors and coworkers. So, this semester was full of favorite memories but what I really loved was going to see "Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812" , going home to visit my roommate’s family on Easter break and meeting all the wonderful people in Athens.
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Every few years the college invites a student to create a new set of sticker designs to be used by our recruitment teams and community building collateral. Dana delivered her unique version near the end of stay. A vibrant and wildly forward looking family of characters that playfully represents our community of the fine and performing arts at OHIO. Design by Dana-Olivia Mohr.
Is there a particular course, organization, event, professor, etc. that really impacted you during your time at OHIO?
Yes, there were two professors actually. Professor Sam Girton is the reason I found a new love for motion graphics. I thought that I hated it and, after a class in Germany, never wanted to do that again in my whole life. But with Sam’s class I fell in love with the subject and I am extremely happy for that. It changed my whole future in design. Also, Adonis Durado’s class made me discover that I could do great infographics and motion graphics, and still have fun. Because research is cool and all, but if you can design something, you sometimes just can’t wait for the research to be finished and let out all of your creativity. So, while researching was not really fun, Adonis forced me to rethink it, to create structure and to build on a strong foundation.
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A project Dana created as part of Adonis Durado’s class on infographics, spring 2022.
What’s the one thing you would tell a new student (international student or otherwise) not to miss?
One thing not to miss? – deadlines! But not the deadlines for the classes, I’m talking about for social security, waivers and all of those nasty formal documents, because they will haunt you to the end of your stay!
But more importantly: do not miss going out (to the bars and also into nature), don’t miss out on opportunities to talk to people. It may seem hard at the beginning of your stay, but you will be happy at the end and you will make connections and friendships that are worth it. Don’t miss out on making plans for spring break, get out of Athens as often as you can and experience your surroundings.
Also: take the opportunity to wander around alone and go to cafes and shops, etc. Before you get to know all of your new friends. Try it, it will make a difference.
What is something valuable (knowledge, skills or experience) you are leaving with?
The most valuable thing for me is my professional knowledge that I have gathered from working as a student graphic designer and from my classes. I have learned time management and new skills and it has improved my work and mindset by infinity.