The Art Institutes International Minnesota Student Receives Prestigious Award

Nov. 18, 2010 - PRLog -- Marguerite Feininger, a Maplewood, Minnesota resident and Photography student attending The Art Institutes International Minnesota, has received the 2010 Student of the Year award from the Minnesota Career College Association (MCCA).  Feininger was nominated for this award, as she is an exceptional student who balances a full-time job as a security guard and two part-time student positions at The Art Institutes International Minnesota.   She selected the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography program at The Art Institutes International Minnesota after a long absence from a traditional college.

When Marguerite initially went to college, she discovered her passion for photography. She went to work in a camera store and professional studio in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for a time, but after her mentor left his business to move to Australia, she found herself back home in Dickenson, South Dakota without a position. So she set out for the Twin Cities to become a part of the exciting world of advertising photography. But in her first meeting to share her portfolio, she was treated dismissively, and her hopes and spirit were so dashed that she went home to the Dakotas and trained to become something more pragmatic, a law enforcement officer. But in 2006, after 20 years as a North Dakota State Trooper something clicked inside her, and she quit the Highway Patrol to return to her passion. In 2008, she commenced a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography at The Art Institutes International Minnesota.

Colleen Mullins, Academic Director for the Photography program at The Art Institutes International Minnesota, nominated Marguerite and wrote, “[Marguerite] is as eager in her pursuits as a teaching assistant as she as a student in our program. She has a passion for sharing her knowledge with her classmates, and often volunteers at the College in order to be able to pursue her passion for teaching and sharing the wisdom that comes as a non-traditionally aged college student.”  Mullins also stated, “[Marguerite] is equally impassioned about photography as a field, and while she still loves the wet lab and traditional silver-based black & white photography, she has embraced the newness in the medium, and has become a terrific digital photographer. In addition, she has helped with darkroom maintenance and upkeep, as well as tutoring students in traditional film processing and printing.”

Founded in 1964 as Lowthian College, The Art Institutes International Minnesota is a diverse, dynamic institution of higher education whose goal is to educate students for creative careers. The Art Institutes International Minnesota is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), a system of over 45 locations throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.  The website for The Art Institutes International Minnesota can be found at www.artinstitutes.edu/minneapolis.

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Located in downtown Minneapolis (MN), The Art Institutes International Minnesota is a regional leader in design, media arts, creative management, and culinary arts education.