Krista Perdomo
Psychology and Art Become Evident Passion for Art Therapy Major
Dec 01, 2020
For Krista Perdomo, freshman art therapy major, the decision to attend Marywood University was finalized when she visited campus, met with faculty and staff, and experienced the close-knit community, and beautiful campus.
While Krista is from Staten Island, N.Y., her family also has a home in Hawley, Pa., just 45 miles outside of Scranton, so she was familiar with the Scranton area. During high school (Tottenville High School, Staten Island, N.Y), Krista was unsure about which major she was going to take.
“When researching majors, I saw that Marywood had an Art Therapy program—I hadn’t seen that major at other schools. I knew art therapy was the major that I was interested in. Knowing how beautiful Marywood’s campus was, I visited campus, and loved everything—the caring staff, the scenic campus, and the size of the school.”
Krista’s favorite subjects of study in high school were psychology and art. Being able to marry both psychology and art was the ideal setting for her. She likes how she is able to combine art and psychology and use the sum of both for a new approach in helping people.
“It [Art Therapy] isn’t a one-size-fits all—each client is able to express themselves in their own way.”
Although her first year of college didn’t go quite as planned because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Krista acknowledges that the fall semester went better than she had expected—she prefers seeing people more often, but overall, the semester went smoother than anticipated.
Interested in being involved in on-campus clubs and organizations, Krista is looking forward to joining MUSATA, Marywood’s Student Art Therapy Association, and the Gymnastics Club, something she’s been passionate about since an early age and continued throughout high school.
Recently, Krista was one of two students who were selected as winners of the John Lennon Mural project, Scranton, Pa. Each of the students was awarded a $500 scholarship from Frank Dubas, organizer of the Lennon Mural Project.
When asked what prompted her to enter the contest, Krista said, “I received an email from Marywood, recognized that it was a local event, and I thought, ‘why not try?’ My mom was a Beatles fan, and I had an idea for the mural and ended up winning.”
In addition to winning the Lennon Mural Project, Krista has been selling her work, namely her Lennon prints, at the First Friday event in downtown Scranton, on the same night of the unveiling party for the Lennon Mural project.
Krista said, “Although I wasn’t able to attend the unveiling because I was selling my artwork, I have visited the mural on several occasions, and I am so impressed by the scope of the project.”
[ RELATED READ: Art Students Winning Entry Lennon Mural (new link on site) ]
Looking ahead to the spring semester, Krista is looking forward to some of the classes that she has scheduled, including Introduction to Arts and Healing, Art History, 3D Design, Philosophy, and other core-related classes.
Following graduation, Krista hopes to start a private practice and would love to work with all different age groups. In the meantime, she’s looking forward to spending the holidays with her mom, Annie, and her sister, Kaelee, in Staten Island.
Krista advises high school students who are beginning the college search, “Don’t feel pressured, like you have to decide what to major in, if you are unsure. Eventually, something will click, and, if you force it on yourself, you’ll end up not being happy, and that’s worse than not deciding.