December 7, 2023
Shawnee State University has been the top choice for Lucasville, Ohio native Riley Galloway since she first decided to pursue a career in Art Education.
“It was always an educational environment that was a big part of the county and was always connected to the local public schools,” she said. “It was so close to home, and it offered the exact major I wanted to take.”
Chasing her biggest dream, Galloway sees her time in the Art Education program at SSU as a huge step in the right direction.
“It is my absolute dream to be the bridge between students and helping them reach their success stories, just as my art teachers in school were for me,” she said. “I think my passion for art is something I would love to pass down and help these kids pursue their passions as much as I was able to.”
Galloway is already making a huge impact in the local art community, starting the university’s art club, having her work displayed around campus, and working with schools in the area.
“So far, I’ve been able to visit schools in the area and speak to them about how art education and majoring in it has been helpful,” she said. “And how they could also come to Shawnee State and explore the opportunities like I have been able to do.”
Galloway is thoroughly enjoying the close-knit art community within the university and is finding it to be extremely helpful in reaching her goals.
“I think having the great community with my fellow students and professors, I think we’re able to have a close relationship, and they’re just as passionate about helping me pursue my goal by helping me learn and apply that knowledge to greater opportunities,” she said.
Galloway is grateful for the opportunities that have been given to her at the university, and how the small campus has embraced and inspired her love of art.
“I think people overlook that Shawnee State has a great faculty here and a great community with exceptional knowledge about the arts and it’s all in our backyard,” she said.
Qualifying students to teach art in high school or be a middle school or elementary arts supervisor and art teacher, the SSU Art Education program is broad in artistic scope and includes work in most studio areas. To learn more about the Art Education program at Shawnee State University, visit shawnee.edu/art-education.