Ashley, New Gibbons
Ashley is a resident assistant for New Gibbons on Douglass Campus. A senior from Parsippany, N.J., she is majoring in design and minoring in art history.
Family and Passion for Art...
I am studying design but I’m not sure if I want to pursue it professionally. I loved it when I started it but I feel that my interests have changed. My sister works for Elis Island and she gives tours of the abandoned hospital (which I think is so spooky), but she loves it there. She has inspired me to do the same thing. My minor is art history; I’m looking to apply to jobs at museums. I would love to work at the Zimmerli Museum or the Montclair Art Museum.
I have always been interested in art especially drawing but, when I came to college, I realized I liked graphic design too. My mom has always been an artist, she’s been drawing pictures of me and my siblings since we were little. She has always encouraged us to make art with her. My grandfather also paints. Even though neither of them are professional artists, they were both very influential in my decision to pursue art. I am really thankful that I had a family that allowed me to make art and follow my passion.
My Mom is from Colombia and my Dad is from Montenegro. Montenegro is a former part of Yugoslavia, so my last name is Yugoslavian. I try to embrace both of my ethnic backgrounds because they are very culturally rich. Montenegro has a lot of interesting mythology which is why i decided to make it part of my senior thesis.
On Culture and Spirituality…
Growing up, my grandmother talked a lot about mythology. She’s very superstitious, for example, she would tell me not to buy my boyfriend shoes because doing so would result in him breaking up with me. She would also mention vampires and monsters, which are very prevalent in Yugoslavian culture, so I have always been very interested in the topic. I really appreciate that both of my parents come from a rich culture so I am taking the opportunity to explore my roots.
I started taking a printmaking class. Printmaking is an older type of printing. If you wanted to make a copy of something this type of printmaking is a very labor intensive process. I am currently working on a series of flower prints using this process. Colombia is the biggest exporter of flowers in the world. Most bouquets found in the United States are imported from Colombia and no one knows that. I want to try to encourage the more beautiful side of Colombia for people to see, because when a lot of people think of the country people don’t see the beauty that Colombia has to offer.
Senior Thesis...
For my thesis I am interested about women in religion. I am looking at religions like Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and Islam to see how they represent women in historical text. I am looking to make comparisons to mythology to see how women were seen then and how they are seen now. I am really passionate about equal representation of women.
Being an RA and Working in Student Affairs Marketing...
I have had really good experiences with both of my RAs during my first two years on campus. I liked the idea of being there for someone who needs me and being a liaison, especially for first-year, to help them transition into college life. I know that without an RA that transition can be difficult. I tend to leave my door open, so my residents feel like I’m there if they ever need me. I started working for student affairs marketing this semester. I have worked on flyers for Rutgers University Programming Association (RUPA), Rutgers Student Health and New Student Orientation. The biggest project I worked on this year was the Beats on the Banks concert featuring the artist Aminé.
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