My name is Amanda, but some people call me ack. I am 20 years old and I attend Chester College of New England in little old Chester, New Hampshire. I am on the road to getting a bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, and I hope to minor in illustration as well.

I have been interested in art since I was about seven. I had a habit of drawing dolphins and cockatiels all over everything, and I enjoyed painting ceramics with my mother. In eighth grade I downloaded a free trial version of Paint Shop Pro 7 and taught myself to use the program. Ever since then, I have made graphic design my life.

I started off making banners for people on message boards. Now I volunteer for a plethora of projects: web design, message board maintenance, digital drawings, vector art, and identity/logo design. A constant in my work ethic has been the belief that it's important to take more time on something and make the project present well than to rush and present a mess.

Soon I'd like to learn to make brochures, learn Flash, and work with copy and print as I continue my design education even after school. I am extremely interested in greeting card design, branding, advertising, and web design. The enthusiasm for learning that's pushed me to where I am will always provide opportunity for gathering a broad range of skills and design projects. My not so-secret dream is to own my own firm. We'll see where I end up!

And that's ack in an egg shell!