Renaissance man
When he isn’t drawing or painting in the Korver Visual Arts Center, Jeriah is working out and competing on the men’s soccer team in the fall and track team in the spring. He’s a forward for the Red Raiders soccer team. In track he runs the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes and is a member of the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams. He’s also part of a Christian rap group with some fellow Northwestern students.
The road to Northwestern
I went to a Christian college fair in high school, and at first, I had no clue what I was looking for. Initially I thought I wanted to stay near home and was looking at some schools in California. Then, after visiting a college in the Midwest, I realized I liked the feeling of independence that came with getting away for college. I didn’t know anything about Northwestern until I attended another Christian college fair. That’s where I met Kyle Blankers, an admissions counselor and track coach at NWC. He seemed to be the first college admissions counselor who actually cared. The other college I was considering didn’t offer sports scholarships, and since that was a large part of my decision, I gave Northwestern another look. After visiting and experiencing the college, the community, and its opportunities, I had my heart set on Northwestern.
Called to create
I’ve always excelled at art and being creative, and I wanted to use my gifts. I’d already explored drawing, pastels, painting and graphic design in my spare time, so choosing graphic design for my major made sense. Plus, I realized a major in graphic design would provide a variety of job opportunities for the future.
Artistic bent
I love working on little details in a piece of art. Those details can make it stand out among the rest and even give it realistic qualities at times. That’s one of the reasons I love drawing people. It’s so awesome to see all of my tedious work pay off. You start with a blank canvas and end up with a masterpiece; that itself is just amazing to me. I bet it’s kind of how God felt after creating the world.
Room for expression
I love how the art building is like a minute walk from my dorm room. The Korver Center is open so many hours it’s easy to work on projects during my free time. I also like the open door policy the professors have. It makes it easy to talk to them about any problems, concerns—basically anything. As an artist, I like the architecture and design of the whole art building. The huge windows and open layout help to make a connection between the student and creation. It inspires me when I’m working on a piece for class.
A whole education
Northwestern has a lot more to offer than great academics. I’ve learned time management—how to balance sports, school, social life and hobbies. I’ve definitely become more efficient at writing papers thanks to my College Writing class. I’ve grown more knowledgeable and strong in my faith, and closer to God through my Christian friends and experiences in music ministry. And I love the community at Northwestern. Everyone cares, and people are easy to talk to. I’ve gained an all-star team of friends who help hold me accountable in my studies and in life.
