Sessions College Announces 2020 Outstanding Graduate Award Recipients

Fully online college recognizes new crop of design professionals
TEMPE, ARIZ. SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

Sessions College, a pioneer in online education and the first accredited online school in design, announced the recipients of the tenth annual Sessions College Outstanding Graduate Awards today. The awards recognize online student achievement and this year’s recipients represent a wide range of disciplines including graphic design, web design, illustration, ad design, and digital photography.

Sessions College started its Outstanding Graduate Awards program in 2010 to celebrate the accomplishments of its students. Award winners are selected by the school’s online faculty and staff based on academic performance, quality of work, and overall contribution to the school. This year’s winners are:

• Katherine Butts, Boardman, OH, Illustration
• Rachel Herring, Nampa, ID, Graphic Design
• Kristy Nilsson, Thumby, Germany, Advertising Design
• Ted Wales, North Chesterfield, VA, Web Design
• Robin Imse, Mustang, OK, Illustration
• Tanner Watson, Chickamauga, GA, Digital Photography
• Erin Buonocore, New York, NY, Graphic Design
• Hannah Wessel, Phoenix, AZ, Graphic Design
• Benjamin Glinksky, Pflugerville, TX, Web Design

“We’re tremendously proud of our graduates,” said Sessions College President Gordon Drummond. “These are students who are building real skills to launch their creative careers while juggling many other commitments. For example, one of our outstanding graduates, Rachel Herring, co-founded her own digital marketing company while she was completing her degree program, all while fulfilling the duties of a busy mom of three children.”

Since 1997, Sessions College has written the playbook for delivering accredited skills-based education for adult learners. Students learn through a project-based model collaborating with industry working professionals to master skills and deliverables that they will encounter in the real world. This cutting-edge curriculum and instruction methodology produce graduates armed with professional portfolios of their digital work who have a competitive edge in the job market, evidenced by stellar graduate outcomes. Students attending Sessions College have a 2.4 times higher graduation rate than the national average. They also have a verified 80% post-graduation employment rate with an in-field employment rate 2.2 times higher than the national average.

"Once considered a subordinate route, online education is now recognized as a necessary and effective way of delivering a quality education,” said Sessions College Head of Graphic Design Andrew Shalat. “Sessions is a place where students can find dedicated instructors who are experts not just in their own field but in the nuances of online education – all to help our students reach their full potential.”

About Sessions College

Founded in 1997, Sessions College is a pioneer in accredited online education and is the developer of Digital Complete© - a fully linked educational platform, including curriculum development, for online learning. Sessions College inspires current and future art and digital design professionals to achieve excellence through industry relevant, project-based online education. Our talented, passionate experts teach the artistic, digital, and critical thinking skills required by dynamic creative fields.

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