After living in two countries during her academic career, University of Iowa senior Chosie Titus has cultivated her skills in visual art and graphic design from both France and the U.S.

Having a French father, Titus grew up speaking French in her household and holds dual citizenship.

She said she long had an affinity for visual art, but she felt unsure what to do for her future after graduating from high school. As a means to find herself, Titus decided to spend a year studying at an art and design school in France for free.

Titus described the structure of the school as much different from a standard American university — she did not need to enroll in general-education courses and focused solely on art. The experience ultimately pushed out of her comfort zone as an artist, she said.

“I was among people that were amazing artists who were a lot older than me,” Titus said. “I got a lot of inspiration from that … it pushed to discover what I enjoyed doing.”

She was given the option of studying either art or design, deciding to follow design because it incorporates several types of material.

“There’s a way to bridge [art and design] together,” she said. “There are so many opportunities with graphic design, that’s why it excites me, because you can incorporate any other medium into it.”

Her time abroad has made Titus realize how she wanted to devote her career to graphic design, which she has studied after transferring to the UI.

She is the design editor for Fools Magazine. Her work entails working with fellow editors to make sure everything comes together and overseeing the visual art that goes into print.

Often, visual artists will be assigned a writing piece and interpret it artistically, which Titus said is her favorite part of the process.

Titus first got involved with the publication last year, looking for a space in which she could further grow her artistic skills.

“It was a really cool opportunity I haven’t seen on campus before,” she said. “I was kind of looking for an outlet where I could push myself creatively around people my age.”

With graduation approaching, Titus occupies her time creating content for Student Life Marketing + Design and doing freelance work. Her work in Fools has made her want to continue working for another arts and culture magazine.