Mia McCall

This photo is from my family’s trip to Montana for Christmas this past year. This picture features the very first snowman my kids have ever made. From left to right, it features my husband, my 2 year old son, me, and my 4 year old son.

Degree: BS in Art, Minor in Art History

Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2023

2022-2023 Scholarship
David John McCosh Memorial Scholarship in Painting
David McCosh Memorial Scholarship in Fine Arts

I Am Originally From Puyallup, WA

WHY I CAME TO THE UO AND HOW I CHOSE MY MAJOR
I chose the University of Oregon after hearing high praise about it from my in-laws. I really enjoy the small community feeling I have gotten from the College of Design. It has cultivated an amazing environment and helped me to grow as an artist.

I have always wanted to do art professionally and knew that I was going to go to school for art. I ended up joining the Army in order to cover the cost of this degree.

UNIQUE QUALITIES I BRING TO MY STUDIES
I am a United States Army veteran, a wife, and a mother of two young boys. With all that being said, I bring a very unique perspective to the college and my studies.

MY INFLUENTIAL PROFESSORS
I have had many influential professors, but I would say Sylvan Lioni, associate professor of art, who was my advanceddrawing instructor has been particularly influential. This was the class in which I made my first very profound pieces of work dealing with some previous traumatic experiences and his reaction really shocked me. He was also the person who asked me what I was willing to do for my art. This question has stuck with me through every project I have taken on since and has driven me to never hold back in my art.

MY EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
I am heavily involved in the UO Veterans Center and I am also an illustrator for the Daily Emerald. The UO Veteran Center is important to me because of my connection to the community. They were there for me when I first transitioned to the university and has stayed consistently there through the COVID lockdown and beyond. I am involved as a way to give back to this community and to help it thrive for newer students coming in as well. The Daily Emerald has helped me to work with others to create art that I have never considered before. They have a wonderful staff and are so understanding, which is important to me because I am a nontraditional student.

MY GREATEST LEARNING EXPERIENCE AT UO
The greatest learning experience I have had so far has to be the process of learning to lift up my peers and their work. Coming to the university, I had a hard time not comparing myself to other artists and feeling jaded about their success. Through my time at the university though, I have been able to move past these feelings and feel extremely excited when I see my peers succeed.

AFTER GRADUATION
My greatest hope is to continue on to earn and MFA and create art that means something to me and connects with others. I imagine using my College of Design education to continue to grow as the lessons I’ve learned will stick with me throughout my life.

YOUR GIFT
Being chosen to receive these scholarships is truly an honor and that alone is incredibly important to me. I always feel like I am never deserving of anything like this, so this is helping to change that mindset. This scholarship is going to help me to continue to provide for my family while I attend school, as both of my kids are in daycare while my partner and I are in school. This alone helps me to achieve my goals of getting my bachelor’s and move onto my master’s.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. It means so much to be honored with these scholarships. I really cannot thank you enough.