When Anna Krolewski addressed her audience at Macomb’s commencement on May 12, the Most Distinguished Graduate invited everyone to visit her in a few years, at Disney’s Imagineers Studio.
“As Master Yoda says, ‘Do or do not, there is no try,’” the Macomb Media and Communications Arts (MACA) major and unabashed Disney fan told her fellow classmates and their guests. “Life is not a fairy tale. You can’t sit on the sidelines and expect success to come to you. You have to work for it.”
And, work, Krolewski has: scoring a 4.0 in nearly every one of her classes and a nomination for the Most Distinguished Graduate honor, which she won after impressing judges with her determination and enthusiasm. She also works at Hobby Lobby in Sterling Heights and, once upon a time, volunteered with Enchanted Princess Ball, which brings the princess experience to little girls whose families may not be able to take them to Cinderella Castle.
“I painted little girls nails, did glitter tattoos and played the fur characters,” says Krolewski, “and I assisted the princesses back stage.”
But it is in art and design that Krolewski’s own dreams have come true, and she credits Macomb for the happy ending.
“I visited over ten different colleges throughout my senior year, but all told me the same thing – I had to choose one field,” says Krolewski. “It wasn’t till the day before the deadline that I made my final decision.”
It came after meeting with Brian Sauriol, MACA faculty, who assured Krolewski that she could explore her artistic potential in a variety of related areas. She is now on her way to Rochester College, where she intends to earn a bachelor’s degree in Media and Communications Arts before applying for her dream job at Disney. She also intends to continue taking classes at Macomb, opting to earn two more associate degrees in Web Design and the just introduced Motion Design.
“I’m excited to add these to my multimedia arsenal, which will help me become more marketable as a multimedia artist,” says Krolewski, who is also in training for her second Disney Princess Half Marathon at Walt Disney World. “As long as I’m doing what I love, I will never work a day in my life.”