Parker mcdermott

When I applied to BYU, I declared myself as an animation major. I wanted to tell stories that would impact people. I wanted to create beautiful art. Before starting classes, however, I switched to illustration. I took a few classes there and quickly realized that this was not the path for me. 3-hour classes of doing nothing but drawing, constantly honing a single practical skill. Then, my homework was to do the same thing, drawing, but now by myself.

While I loved seeing my artistic abilities grow, sketching figure after figure in class, I had so many fun ideas that I wanted to explore, but no creative energy leftover once I finished all my work. Even more than that, I craved social interaction. As an A-Rank Extrovert in the middle of a pandemic, I felt like I was asphyxiating.

I knew I had to switch majors, so I did some research. Marketing? Graphic Design? Teaching? In high school, I had gone to state in the advertising campaign for DECA competitions, maybe advertising was worth looking into.

So, I checked out the application for the advertising program and instantly, I knew I had found my people. Applicants needed to answer questions like "What happens when none of your bees wax?" or "If money doesn't grow on trees, then why do banks have branches?" I felt like I was playing Quiplash (one of my favorite and most-consistently-won party games). If this was what the advertising program was like, I knew that that was where I needed to be.

Now, advertising is my whole life. The ideas never stop and I know there's nowhere else I'd rather be.