Posters, T shirts, Stickers, and a waterbottle for Queens College merch.

After extensive research into the university's history, I was fascinated by the several uses of the land and campus before it was turned into the college I attended. Notably, the campus used to be a boarding school for "delinquent" boys, many of which were from impoverished immigrant families with parents who just didn't have the time or means to care for them. Unfortunately, the school quickly became known for horrible conditions and abuse, with several old articles describing the allegations and subsequent closure of the school. It was then briefly converted into a mental hospital and then finally, the college. Some of the buildings still exist and are used for college purposes.

Despite the troubling nature of the campuses' past, I felt a connection to this story. Rather than forgetting our history, I wanted to remember these students and reflect the challenges, persistence, and strength in education, which includes understanding the misunderstood. Naturally, these elements worked very well with a punk poster style, which guided my artistic choices.

Using a picture of these troubled boys lined up on the steps of one of the campus buildings, I took the silhouette of one, vectorized and filled the figure with old magazine clippings about the school. I also used archives of proposed Queens College seals I found, and the retired college motto "Discimus Ut Serviamus" to tie in some of our college history into the design.