Hui Liu was thrilled when she learned that over 200 people will be wearing a t-shirt with her design.
"No kidding?! It is a humbling experience to have my work appreciated and worn by so many people," she said.
Last month, Liu was selected as the winner of the iSchool's t-shirt design contest. Her design was based on the prompt, "The Power of Information," which is also the School's tagline. Participants were asked to submit designs that illustrated the tagline from a student perspective.
Liu's design features a "growing 'Information Technology' plant with connected stems blooming into beautiful and strong shapes."
"I have always enjoyed designing and creating visuals, and I saw this as an opportunity to showcase my skills and contribute to the iSchool community. [I drew on] my experience working in a public library with a diverse community and what I have learned in my courses," said Liu, a student in the Leep (MSLIS online) program. "I believe that information has the power to connect people from different cultures and worlds, both digital and physical."
"It was an honor to have my design featured alongside the iSchool logo."
Liu serves as a full-time library assistant at the Quincy Public Library in Massachusetts. She said her current supervisor graduated from the iSchool ten years ago and personally recommended the MSLIS program.
"[Aside from the] many people who recommended it to me, I was drawn to the iSchool because of the well-developed program structure and the wide range of course options and potential career paths," Liu said.
After graduation, Liu hopes to work in an academic library, where she can utilize her library experience and dual-language proficiency. She is also interested in library services for international students and immigrants.
Like most Leep students, Liu has not visited the Urbana campus, but she hopes to change that in the future.
"I really hope to visit UIUC someday while wearing my shirt! It would be amazing to see the campus in person," she said.