Attention:

Northern Vermont University is now part of Vermont State University! Please visit VermontState.edu for accurate information.

Monique Priestley ’08, Visual Arts

She’s Making an Impact in Her Career and Her Community

Monique Priestley

As a digital media major at NVU-Lyndon, the campus computer lab was a hub where Monique Priestley ’08 discovered skills and connected with fellow students. With NVU’s career-focused curriculum, the opportunity to work on design projects with real clients at local businesses also gave her valuable experience.

“I loved the computer lab, seeing each other’s projects, and bouncing ideas back and forth. Everybody was super creative…It had a good feeling to it,” she says. “I also liked the flexibility to use my skills outside the classroom. We had a lot of team projects, so I learned about communication and working together.”

Career Preparation at NVU Provides a Solid Foundation

Monique uses all the skills she gained at NVU in her latest venture, The Space On Main, a Bradford, Vt, coworking nonprofit she founded in 2016, where she is executive director. The Space provides office amenities for makers and entrepreneurs in various fields and hosts community events.

The career preparation Monique had at NVU — and in a digital media master’s program at another university — also helps in her role as digital director for CampusCE Corp., a Seattle-based education-software service provider she works for remotely at The Space.

The critiques Monique shared with peers in NVU’s program provided a good foundation for her work for CampusCE and with her own design company. “That has helped along the way. Taking feedback and giving feedback constructively has been super helpful with any type of design job,” she says.

Faculty Support Sets NVU Apart From Other Colleges

Communicating with local businesses when she led design projects at NVU also gave her a leg up after graduation. “I was engaged and learned how to have discussions with clients,” says Monique, who also earned an associate degree in graphic design at NVU.

In addition to the broad skills she perfected at NVU — in typography, web design and editing, video production — a highlight of her education was supportive faculty. “They were always happy to be mentors. They were dedicated to students in a way that you don’t find at most schools,” Monique says. “There was encouragement to take things further and explore academically. The most important aspect of any school is being given tools to explore beyond what’s being asked.”

Her Successful Nonprofit Fills Multiple Needs

That instinct to explore opportunities inspired Monique to launch The Space as a gathering place for business people and the community. Using the tools she gained at NVU and in her graduate program, she developed a successful nonprofit.

“At the least, it’s bringing in people from Bradford and a 30-mile radius that haven’t really engaged with other people too much and who want a business network, partners, and a community,” Monique says. She hopes The Space will motivate other entrepreneurs to open businesses in Bradford too.

A Leader in Her Community

The Space isn’t the only way Monique has helped revitalize the Bradford area and beyond. The list of government boards and community service and business organizations she has been involved with on the local, state, and regional level is long.

Her many contributions have been recognized. Among other honors, she was named a Hero & Leader of the Upper Valley by White River Junction-based nonprofit Vital Communities, Vermonter of the Month by the state attorney general’s office and the Cohase Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year.

“I think everyone has a responsibility to chip in, and I really enjoy it…Working with people who genuinely want to help the community always feels good,” Monique says. “I’m told that I inspire people to get involved. It would be great to know that people get involved as a result of the things I’m doing.”

Two female students in an art classroom, holding paint brushes, working together at a table.

“The art professors have so much to offer. They’re here to support you and let you be creative without holding you back.”

- Lily Johnson ’17

APPLY TODAY. DO NORTH.

Request Information Schedule A Visit Apply