The Great Seal: Book

Winners of a contest held within the Department of Architecture and Interior Design, seniors Madelyn and Sophia Delgado were selected to sketch 12 Miami landmarks for "The Great Seal Essays." The twin sisters, who are majoring in architecture, teamed up on the pen-and-ink drawings of Kumler Chapel, Alumni Hall, the Tri Delt Sundial, and other well-known sites on campus.

The University is planning to sell commemorative versions of the book, both in hard and soft cover. The young women have also launched a freelance business, "Pen and Ink in a Blink," to make their sketches commercially available as prints, notecards, and postcards.

Sophia and Madelyn said they researched the history of the various landmarks and took photographs of each before starting their sketches.

Gracing Western campus, this special landmark is one of their favorites, its light-colored stones standing out from the red-brick buildings at Miami.

The sisters found the university seal at the Hub on campus to be especially challenging.

 "We did it so that you could also get the Upham Arch in the background. There are all those trees right in front as well," Sophia said, noting the difficulty of blending the building with the trees.

The most difficult building to draw was the one they were most familiar with—Alumni Hall, home to the architecture and interior design department and the studio where they work side by side.

"I think Alumni was a very challenging one," Madelyn said, noting the intricate brickwork and other structural elements, including the front steps and columns.

"Plus, we practically lived there," Sophia added with a laugh, "so we wanted to make sure it was really good."

In the spring of 2013, President Hodge invited all undergraduates to "write" the book that stands within the Great Seal. The book was to hold a living collection of student writing, captured in contemporary time, but speaking both to our heritage and imagining our own legacy. A contest was launched that required a response to the following question (in 1809 words or less):

As they pass the Great Seal in the Bicentennial Rotunda of the Armstrong Student Center, future generations will look for wisdom and wit in your words. In your Miami experience, what wisdom have you gained from the University’s heritage that you would like to pass on? In other words, what values, beliefs, and experiences connect "Old Miami" and "New Miami"?

(For the list of winners, click the arrows above.)

We, on a Path to Wisdom

Amanda Hancock
Class of 2015

Amanda Hancock is a sophomore from Lexington, Kentucky, studying Journalism and English Literature. She runs on the cross-country and track and field teams, writes for The Miami Student, and is involved with Athletes in Action and Cru on campus.

Our Legacy

Olivia Kerrigan
Class of 2013

Olivia Kerrigan is a member of the graduating class of 2013, majoring in Mass Communication and minoring in Chinese. She hopes to one day write professionally, but in the meantime is enjoying her last semester of college before life in the real world begins.

Miami: Where We Love is Home

Laura Dewire
Class of 2014

Laura Dewire is a third year Early Childhood Education Major and a lover of pretty things and clever words. She enjoys good books, Downton Abbey, haikus, coffee, glitter, yoga, and anything dipped in chocolate. She is a native of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, and a Midwestern girl through and through. She is the middle of three girls, and her family loves dogs, Chinese food, and snuggling. 

Obstinate Motion

Laura Hower
Class of 2015

Laura Hower was born on September 10, 1992, in Wapakoneta, Ohio. She graduated from Wapakoneta High School in 2011. Laura is a Creative Writing and Professional Writing double major at Miami University with a minor in Film Studies and is currently involved with Comics Ink.

With Love and Honor

Michelle Johnston
Class of 2016

Michelle Johnston is a Diplomacy and Global Politics/Business Undecided double major, with a minor in French. She prides herself in the several organizations that she participates in on campus and the volunteer work she does with Alpha Phi Omega. Michelle hopes to eventually become a lawyer.