Wins of the Week

Written by Sarah Johnson. Graphic by Anna Porter.

Part I

I joined SCAD District as a freshman, and the meetings quickly became something I looked forward to each week. After picking up the pitch I liked best, I would rush back to Garden at the Hive and gush to my roommates about how much I felt like Rory Gilmore. One article I wrote during my freshman year was titled “District’s Dose of Good News,” where I shared what “good news” SCAD students had to share. Collecting stories for this article challenged my bravery as I mustered up the courage to approach strangers on campus and ask, “What are you celebrating today?”. It could be as simple as having a good snack or enjoying the weather. I just wanted to know the good news.
After a personally challenging summer, I decided to revisit this idea for SCAD District. I knew it would bring a lot of joy to my life to focus on the good, and my hope is that it brings that same joy to you. Each week, I plan on striking up a conversation with a minimum of five SCAD students, professors, or faculty to learn what their wins are. At the end of the week, we will have five extra things to celebrate!
This week, I scoured the halls of Arnold during my WRIT 330 break in search of some good news, and I had a very hard time finding any. For every person I asked, I was hit with, “This has been the worst week of my life!” Initially, I was discouraged. How would I find anything good to write about if everyone is struggling? But hearing how surrounded we all are by the bad, reminded me how desperately we need to remember that there is good, no matter how small.

So, I thought about my own week and decided to share my personal wins as I, too, aim to focus on the good amidst the madness before midterms.

Finally – I made it back to a SCAD District meeting! After a hiatus, while I was studying in Lacoste, France, I was excited to be back at an 8:30 pm meeting at O-House.

Writing this article is something I have been looking forward to since the summer so actually being here writing it feels like a win.

My roommate made her infamous chocolate chip cookies during our snow days the other week, and every day I get one of those is a win!

Part II

My personal win of the week is having Faby Abreu, Fashion Marketing and Management 2026, as my friend. Abreu and I met while volunteering for the senior fashion show and lived together while studying in Lacoste, France. Easily, Abreu has become one of the most kind and funny humans I know. When I sat with her in Nom Nom Poke last week, I told her that I was struggling to find anyone with good news. Without missing a beat, she said “Sarah I have friends in so many majors, they will have good news for you!” And good news they had, thanks, friend!

Andrea Atencio, Interior Design 2024, is celebrating submitting her midterm on time. After struggling with the assignment for a while she says, “I’m just happy that I got everything finished.” Atencio says that her critique also went very well, and she received great feedback. This
project also marked personal growth for her, “Even though it was not work I was particularly proud of, I managed to put my perfectionism aside.”

Eugenia Galvez’s, Graphic Design 2026, win of the week is discovering that the Miami Design District has a free magazine. She says, “Their magazines are amazing. They are very pretty.” Full of color and playful typography, this is any graphic design student’s dream. The magazine features articles on Dior and Chanel.

Bella Cordero, Fashion Marketing and Management 2026, drove home to Orlando, Florida to visit her mom and younger sister over the weekend. Her win of the week is visiting the Orlando Museum of Art with them. The exhibit that Cordero had been looking forward to was of punk memorabilia. She describes it as, “One of the coolest things.” It featured late 1970s and 1980s Vivian Westwood pieces. Pieces that most fashion lovers drool over.

Lastly, a win for us all, we have made it through midterms!