SoPA grad’s vow to ‘make it count’ leads to honors, national award
After living and working abroad for eight years, Keagan Krauss was ready for change.
Four years in New Zealand was an adventure, she recalls. And the next four years in Australia would serve as the catalyst for enrolling in the Tulane University School of Professional Advancement (SoPA).
“As a working professional, SoPA was a no-brainer for me.”
—Keagan Krauss, Media+Design Class of 2021
“Not many people get a second chance like this, to return to school in their 30s,” said Krauss, who built a career abroad as a graphic designer and will graduate with a bachelor's degree in digital design on May 19. “As a working professional, SoPA was a no-brainer for me.”
A combination of missing her family back in the United States and the desire for career advancement, led her to Tulane University. But getting to know program director Amanda Garcia, she says, reinforced her decision to join SoPA’s Media+Design program.
“She has this energy about herself,” said Krauss. “She loves what she does, and she's amazing at what she does.”
Once the decision to return to school was made, there was just one more self-imposed directive she wished to follow — “Make it count.”
And that’s what she did.
In the summer of 2021, Krauss was selected as a designer for the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine’s “Skin You’re In” initiative to combat the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the African-American community in New Orleans.
When SoPA’s Media+Design students swept the local 2021 American Advertising (ADDY) Awards taking home 36 awards in total, Krauss was the recipient of five of those design awards.
In June, she will be awarded a national ADDY award for an invitation design that also received local and district ADDY honors.
And finally, she is the recipient of the prestigious Tulane 34 Award offered to only 34 Tulane graduates each year in recognition of their exemplary leadership, service and academic excellence.
“Coming back to school as an adult adds another level to getting this kind of recognition,” said Krauss of her accolades. “I put a lot of hard work into the program so this is truly rewarding.”
