Brooklyn Madison Calderon
From an early age, Brooklyn Madison Calderon said she knew what brought her joy. “Ever since I was little and could hold a crayon, I loved art,” she said.
Calderon followed that love to Triton College, at first taking classes in the culinary arts with a pastry specialty before switching to Triton’s art transfer program.
“I’m very creative, and I have found that [the visual arts] is the career that would be perfect for me,” said Calderon. “I love designing. I love drawing. I love making.”
Having first experienced the Triton community as a dual credit student while attending East Leyden High School, Calderon reflected on all the ways she’s grown in her confidence as well as in her craft.
Dennis Keith McNamara, who chairs the Visual, Performing and Communication Arts Department, was Calderon’s Drawing I instructor.
He encouraged Calderon to practice without worrying about perfection, telling her that “not every drawing needs to be perfect; not every piece of paper needs to be this masterpiece. It’s OK.”
Those words gave Calderon the space to hone her unique, “whimsical” style, and further develop her interest in digital art.
That confidence carried over into other courses.
During an introductory mathematics course taught by tenured mathematics faculty member Tuan Dean, “there was a project we were doing, and I just felt very secure leading,” said Calderon. “That made me feel very comfortable being there.”
“This semester, I can’t think of a time when I haven’t felt like I belonged here, especially in the art gallery,” she added, where others share similar interests.
So, when art instructor Stephanie Lupu told Calderon that Triton’s Art Club hadn’t been meeting for a while, she stepped in, getting the club started again with other students and being named as its president.
Art Club is one of Triton’s more than 35 clubs and organizations, and one of the ways the Office of Student Life encourages students to actively participate outside of the classroom.
Calderon said the club welcomes students from any area of study and described how members design posters for upcoming shows in Triton’s J-Building Fine Arts Gallery, like the March and April show featuring artwork made from repurposed materials.
“Seeing everybody make a bunch of beautiful art from what people could consider trash has been very inspiring,” she said.
Having gained so much growth at Triton College, Calderon said she’d encourage other students and prospective students to be social, ask questions and get to know instructors.
Explore all Triton has to offer, even if it means making a change. “You don’t need to stay on one track if you’re not happy with it,” said Calderon. “This is the time for you to look at these things.”
Throughout the student journey, supportive campus resources – two that Calderon mentioned are the Transfer Center and Counseling and Wellness Support Services – will be there.
Just as Triton was the right next step for her after high school, Calderon said that transferring to Elmhurst University to pursue a program in digital media and video game and concept art is the right next step after she graduates.
Wherever Calderon’s career takes her after that, one thing is certain: “People are always going to need art, whether they realize it or not, because it’s in almost everything,” she said.