Clarke’s Sieverding Wins AAF Dubuque Scholarship

Clarke University senior Karan Sieverding was the winner of this year’s American Advertising Federation Dubuque $500 Student Scholarship.

Sieverding, a graphic design major from Bellevue, Iowa, was given the award at the AAF November luncheon. It is the fourth straight year that a Clarke student has won the award.

The American Advertising Federation Dubuque scholarship is open to tri-state-area college students who have declared majors in marketing, advertising, public relations, communications, graphic design, or a related field. To qualify, entrants who attend a four-year college or university must have enough credits to be classified as seniors in the fall of 2015, and also be enrolled for the fall semester at any of the following schools: Clarke University, Loras College, University of Dubuque, Northeast Iowa Community College, or the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

“I came to Clarke University with only one artistic skill, drawing,” Sieverding said. “Drawing was always more of a hobby for me and I had never taken a formal class in high school. When I entered Clarke as a nursing major, all of a sudden my time was spent in biology labs and scrubs instead of with a pencil in my hand. I knew that becoming a nurse was not my fit. Something had to change in my life for me to feel as though I was headed in the right direction.”

Once Sieverding was headed in the right direction, Clarke faculty and staff helped her develop her talents, including securing internships at Sedgwick, Plane Art Designs, Travel Dubuque and The United Way.

“The multiple internships I took along the way helped me grow as a graphic designer, both professionally and creatively,” she said. “Once I am done with my college education I hope to work at a place similar to Sedgwick, a company I interned at for two summers. My ultimate goal, however, is to work as a graphic designer for a nonprofit organization and use my talent as a way to make a difference, which I why I had decided to attend Clarke as nursing major to begin with. Now that I know my career path, I will use my education as way to connect with people and with the world.”