UMSL graduate Amanda Royer shakes hands with Chancellor Kristin Sobolik during December’s fall commencement ceremony. Royer earned a BFA after previously earning a Chancellor’s Certificate through the Office of Inclusive Postsecondary Education’s Succeed Program in 2018. (Photo by Derik Holtmann)

Amanda Royer had many interests growing up in Maryland Heights, Missouri, from gymnastics to paleontology. But she especially had a penchant for art, finding inspiration in bright, vibrant colors.

“I think that I had some raw talent to start with, even though I wasn’t fully aware of it,” she said. “I could only tell that people saw something in my artwork by their reactions when they saw things I made. I just made things that I liked using things I was given or that I found, and people loved my creativity. When people loved things that I made, I became happy to create more.”

Royer continued her creative endeavors into adulthood as a studio artist specializing in Prismacolor pencils and oil pastels. In December, she graduated from the University of Missouri–St. Louis with a BFA after previously earning a Chancellor’s Certificate through the Office of Inclusive Postsecondary Education’s Succeed Program in 2018.

The OIPE initiative is designed to instill academic, living and vocational skills in students with intellectual and developmental disabilities as they first work toward a two-year certificate and then potentially transition to a degree program.

From an early age, Royer was determined to attend college and pursue her passion.

“At some age, kids want to be like their parents,” she explained. “As soon as I learned that my parents had gone to college and that they were glad they went to college, going to college after high school became a priority for me.”

After graduating from Pattonville High School in 2016, Royer enrolled at UMSL. The OIPE, which is housed in the College of Education, was the primary reason Royer decided to attend the university, though its affordable tuition was also a factor.

The Succeed Program helped Royer adjust to life on a college campus. During her first year, she acclimated herself to her new academic schedule and learned to navigate campus. Andrew Johnson Kliethermes, assistant director of OIPE, and Maya Harris, former coordinator of vocational experiences, were there at every step to provide support and guidance.

“I enjoyed living on campus,” she said. “After class, my apartment was just a shuttle ride away, and I had my own bedroom. Living in an apartment helped me learn to be more independent.”

After earning a Chancellor’s Certificate, Royer was set on furthering her education, and she matriculated into the Department of Art and Design’s studio art program.

“The Succeed Program helped me to become more independent, but it also helped me to learn about resources on campus, so I was ready to enter the BFA program by the time I had graduated from the Succeed Program,” she said.

The Department of Art and Design offers bachelor’s programs in studio art as well as graphic design, but Royer had always gravitated toward the former. An early graphic design course confirmed Royer’s preference for creating art by hand, and she chose to continue building on her existing skillset.

During her time in the program, she created a body of work titled, “My Colorful Stones Collection.” The works were inspired by brightly colored stones she purchased from a gift shop, and each piece in the collection consists of a highly detailed Prismacolor pencil drawing of a colorful stone.

“I’m proud of the body of work because I worked hard on each piece, and they each turned out as I hoped or better than I hoped they would,” Royer said. “Each piece took about eight weeks to create.”

The program was fun but also required much hard work. Luckily, Royer found the Department of Art and Design to be supportive and credits several mentors for helping her succeed, including Associate Professor Glen Anderson, Associate Teaching Professor and Chair Mike Behle, adjunct faculty member and Senior Lab Technician Valerie Dratwick, Associate Professor Phil Robinson and adjunct faculty member Samantha Hunerlach.

Graduating has come with a mix of emotions for Royer. She’s proud of what she’s accomplished and excited to start a new chapter in her life. However, she’s also a little sad to be leaving UMSL and nervous about what the future holds.

Despite the uncertainty, she’s fully committed to her art.

“After graduation, I’m not sure what kind of job I will have, but I have been told not to stop creating art even if my day job is not related to art,” Royer said. “I hope to set a time of day to create art, and then do it. I think that is what the most successful artists do. They set a time to create art, and they do it until it’s time to stop. Then they move on to the next part of their day.”