The Visual Arts Center at Shoreline Community College

It took Svetlana Binderman many years and many miles to discover that a career in graphic design would unite her left-brain and right-brain talents. She grew up in Russia, and while clearly talented in languages, declined to pursue higher education in linguistics. She had always felt there was something else she was meant to do related to her fascination with abstract art and the sketching she did as a meditative exercise. However, she was soon a wife and mother and moved to Israel with her husband and children. She needed immediate income to support her family, and found a job in an import business using her strong English language skills. Years later, she emigrated to the United States and found work with a customs brokerage.

At last, Svetlana found the opportunity to research the kind of career that would nourish both her interest in visual art and support her family. She experimented with classes from a professional enrichment center, but soon realized she wanted to earn a degree. She could pursue training only at night after her workday, and she wanted to study with a supportive, talented faculty. Her research brought her to Shoreline Community College, which had a schedule compatible with hers, and offered well-regarded graphic design training as well as general education courses.

Svetlana commutes from the Eastside to participate in Shoreline’s Visual Communications Technology program. She appreciates the mix of conceptual design and production courses, It has given her an understanding of how to create great designs that communicate effectively and that can be priinted without difficulty. Svetlana plans to graduate from Shoreline in 2007 or 2008 and then take on a new challenge: completing a four-year degree.