College of Education and Behavioral Sciences News

Daniel Garcia Lopez will graduate May 1 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Advertising, a minor in Graphic Design and a certificate in User Experience. Originally from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, Garcia Lopez moved to Bowling Green seven years ago and knew WKU was where he wanted to go to college.

“Moving here to the States unlocked so many opportunities for all of us, especially for my sister and I,” Garcia Lopez said. His mother received a promotion for work which meant he and his younger sister would move with her to Bowling Green. 

“Back in Honduras, you can only dream of a college education here in the States. Not only that, but even after, just, actually getting to do what you wanted to do.” Garcia explained that in some countries you have to study out of the necessity of the profession rather than going to college to explore your their passion. “My future is so much brighter now that I live in the States.” 

That future is marked with the label Advertising and Branding Creative, a label he and his faculty believe describe his experience gained from his academic program, internship at Imagewest, and leadership in AIGA, a professional organization for design, at WKU. 

“One day I started doodling Cherry Hall,” Garcia Lopez said. He worked on it through his class and the following class and noticed the doodle developing into a pretty good piece. Once he showed his mother, she suggested he do something with it. That led to him changing his major. 

Garcia Lopez joined Imagewest in January 2020, an award-winning, student-run advertising and public relations agency at Western Kentucky University. He credits the agency for much of his ability to apply his coursework to work experience and identifying the aspects of advertising and branding that he enjoys the most. 

“Coming up with those key elements for the rest of the team to use, that is probably my specialty,” he said.  “Just coming up with fonts, colors, the guidelines of how the brand should work, should look like -  that is probably what I am best at.”

Students at Imagewest work with business and organization clients from within and outside of Bowling Green. 

“I’m actually sad that I did not learn about it [Imagewest] sooner in my college career,” Garcia Lopez said. Since joining the agency, he has worked on rack cards, brochures, annual reports, logos, a strategy book, and more. In addition, he served as the agency’s assistant manager during the fall semester. Imagewest gave him the opportunity to manage projects from start to finish, research, brainstorm ideas, and work with a team. 

Garcia Lopez emphasized the supportive faculty who impacted his WKU experience. “They taught me to be confident in myself, confident in my designs - taught me (at least) the most that they could, the ins and outs of the business that I am going into. And I feel like they have prepared me, as best as possible, for life after the Hill.” These faculty include Imagewst Co-Director Kara Williams Glenn, Instructor Sean Ward, Associate Professor Mark Simpson, Assistant Professor Natalie Tyree, and Professional-in-Residence Kelley Coppinger. 

In addition to Imagewest, Garcia Lopez served as co-president for AIGA at WKU for the past year. In this role, he plans events during the semester that bring in alumni and other professionals to speak to current graphic design students about careers and life after college. 

After graduation, Garcia Lopez plans to apply for positions with advertising agencies or search for a position in-house with a company in addition to free-lancing. 

To learn more about Imagewest, visit wkuimagewest.com. 

#WKUGrad series: As part of our #WKUGrad series, articles on graduating students are shared in the weeks leading up to Commencement. See all their stories at https://www.wku.edu/news.