Senior Spotlight: Sean Joyce

Congratulations to senior Sean Joyce who has received the prestigious Gund Scholarship—worth $22,000 per year—to study at the Cleveland Institute of Art.

Sean’s first experience at the CIA was a two-week accelerated pre-college program last summer. Sean lived on campus and got to experience what it was like to be a student there and to make friends with like-minded people. He credits that experience with making him “fall in love with the place.”

Besides his scholarship to the CIA, Sean was offered an art scholarship—the Incoming Freshman Talent Award—from BGSU and merit scholarships from BGSU and KSU.

After college, Sean hopes to make a living from his own comics and use his artistic skills for “cool creature design.” He has already taken steps toward this end with his senior project in HN’s Portfolio class, which involved starting his own graphic novel called Alien Natures. He appreciates the opportunity to complete the entire process—from writing and page layout to inking and coloring, and he hopes to publish the novel online.

Like many artists, Sean draws his inspiration from anything he considers “cool looking and interesting.” For Sean, much of his inspiration begins in nature because, he says, “I think the organic ebbs and flows are really, very cool.” He also acknowledges, though, that his sources of inspiration are likely to change as he evolves as an artist.

Although he finds it difficult to choose one favorite class at HN because “every class here at HN has something unique to offer,” Sean particularly enjoyed Portfolio because it was an independent study course, which gave him experience setting and meeting his own deadlines. He also mentions AP Biology among his favorites.
Recalling his own diverse experiences—from serving as a member of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo teen volunteer program to interning at the Irish American Archives Society as a student researcher to participating in HN’s Drama Club, Sean encourages underclassmen to “get out of your comfort zone and try new things! You won’t know if you like something if you’ve never actually tried it.”

Congratulations to Sean, and stay tuned for more senior profiles!