I Define Success – Mark Garrett

Mark Garrett comes from a family of military men. When his grandfather, a former military man, was dying of terminal cancer, Mark wanted to give him something. Compelled by his desire to honor his grandpa, Mark decided to follow in the path of many of his other family members by joining the U.S. Air Force.

After his time in the service, Mark found himself pursuing a long term desire for a degree in Visual Communications.

“I am an artist at heart and soul,” he said.

After difficulty accessing his GI Bill, Mark chose to enroll at Ivy Tech. Due to the financial comfort and lack of hoops to jump through, the College was the obvious choice.

 Ivy Tech equipped Mark with resources and connections that jump-started his passion. The Student Success Center was a particularly useful resource in Mark’s academic career.

“I had a fantastic experience with the advising meetings I had there,” he explained. “They taught me a lot about interviewing.”

Another important and impactful connection Mark had at Ivy Tech was with his Fine Arts professor, Hector Delcampo.

“Prof. Delcampo had a heavy influence on my art because he changed my outlook on how to draw, how to look at things.” Mark said. “He taught me to interpret and create something to solve a problem and evoke emotion. I would not be pushing myself to be the best artist I can be without his influence.”

And Mark truly is pushing himself to be the best artist he can be.

On top of his visual communications education, he is a self-taught digital artist and has been doing freelance art and design work, designing logos and vision boards for clients.

“My mission is to take over an industry that needs somebody like me! With my passion, I can set myself apart from everyone else,” he said.

“My mentality, no matter how bold it sounds, is to take over the world.”

This is a dream he hopes others can also make come true, too.

“My plan now is to take what I got from Ivy Tech and build off of that. I encourage other people to start building their passions at Ivy Tech.”

To learn more about Ivy Tech’s Visual Communications program, visit IvyTech.edu/visual-communications. For veterans looking for assistance enrolling, visit IvyTech.edu/veterans.