Scott and Amy Dadich spend time with students, hearing the impact their scholarship endowment has made over the past four years.

A group of six graphic design students sits at a table in the School of Art at Texas Tech University. It’s usually covered in concepts for new designs or course notes. Today, the wooden top is concealed by sandwiches, pickle spears, bags of chips and iced tea – not to mention elbows, as students lean in for discussion with Scott and Amy Dadich.

The couple set up a scholarship endowment in design communication at Texas Tech in 2020 with the intention of providing support for students who otherwise would not have the opportunity to pursue a degree in graphic design.  

A Lubbock native, Scott Dadich graduated from Texas Tech in 1999, earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts in design communications. This propelled him into a remarkable career including leadership at Texas Monthly, WIRED, Conde Nast, and founder and CEO of Godfrey Dadich Partners.

“Design is a real passion for me,” Dadich said. “It’s what gets me up in the morning. I love the impact design creates and the problems it solves. I also am acutely aware that without some individuals offering me a chance in this industry, I wouldn’t be on the path I’m on now.” 

It’s with this awareness and gratitude that he and his wife decided to help others find their path. And according to Texas Tech students Alessandra Rios and Dawn Franklin, that’s exactly what Scott and Amy have done. 

Eye-Opening 

Rios is a fourth-year graphic design student from Donna, Texas. She’s always had an interest in art but also wanted a practical degree that would ensure a job after graduation. 

“I’m a first-generation college student so I want to support my family,” she said.

For Rios, it’s important to be there for the people who’ve been there for her. She describes her parents as incredibly hard workers. Her mother, one of 10 siblings, grew up as a migrant worker moving across the American Southwest.  

With her family’s history in mind, Rios couldn’t see herself going into studio work. Having consistent, dependable pay was too important. But she’d always been interested in album covers and other graphic art such as posters and packaging. Her bedroom at home is covered in posters, so much so that it’s difficult to see the walls in some places. 

When she realized there were jobs in graphic design, she began to research university programs that would be a good fit. 

“It came down to the University of Houston or Texas Tech,” she said. “But I had family here so that sealed my decision.” 

That, and the more she researched the graphic design program, the more excited she became. She says when she toured campus, she could see herself here. Rios says going to college was a big step. As the first one in her family to attend college, many people were rooting her on. 

“I’d only read ‘From Here, It’s Possible’™ a few times before enrolling, but I think that slogan was already cemented inside me,” she said, brushing tears away. “It has to be as a first-gen student.” 

Like many fourth-year students, Rios recently felt the exhaustion of the semester sinking in.  

Dadich’s visit couldn’t have come at a better time. 

Rios is one of six students who have received the scholarship from Scott and Amy this semester. It’s allowed her to pursue her goals and set her up to succeed. The scholarship alone has meant so much to her, but Rios says it was a bonus for someone like Scott to intentionally set aside time to spend with her and the others.

“Getting advice from someone who came from Lubbock and has grown into a designer who’s established a name for himself was eye-opening,” Rios said. 

Over lunch, Scott told the students to keep their eye on the big picture – to focus on the kind of impact they want to make and the art they want to create. It’s easy, especially in college, to get pulled into the weeds and lose sight of your why, he told them.

“My big takeaway from talking with Scott was to keep going,” Rios said. “You have to keep moving forward and not let the little things distract you. Scott’s done many amazing things like meeting a president, creating a Netflix show and starting his own company, but he emphasized it’s the little steps that got him there.” 

Dawn Franklin is a third-year graphic design student. They were moved that, on top of the scholarship, Scott and Amy would spend time visiting and listening – wanting to hear their story.

During his visit, Scott asked Franklin what pushed them to pursue higher education. 

“My grandmother is from Sweetwater and grew up with seven other siblings,” Franklin said. “None of them had the opportunity to graduate high school. Sweetwater is a small town and was still segregated when my grandmother was a child – it still is in some ways.”

Franklin says the only reason they’re able to pursue a college degree is because their mother served in the Marine Corps, making her children legacy students because of a disability occurring in service.  

“There are a lot of people from small towns who are not well endowed, who want to pursue art but feel they can’t,” Franklin said. “When you’re one of the first people to attend college in your family, there is pressure to do something that will make a lot of money.” 

But Franklin has loved art since elementary school. They played video games like “Skyrim” and “Red Dead Redemption.” The vivid stories captivated Franklin’s curiosity. They especially took note of the animation and design. 

But when Franklin got to high school, they enrolled in business administration as an elective. They figured they’d pursue business in college even though their heart wasn’t in it. Later, while working part-time and completing basic credits at South Plains College, Franklin took an art class for the first time since elementary school. 

“I remembered this is what made me happy, and I wanted to do it for the rest of my life,” they said, contentedly. 

The next semester, Franklin transferred to Texas Tech. 

In one of their first design classes, Franklin says they learned many students of color do not pursue the arts because of the perception that you can’t make consistent money. 

“They end up pursuing a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degree or a business degree, when their passion is elsewhere,” Franklin said. “If more people could do what they’re truly passionate about, the world would be a better place.” 

Luckily for Franklin, Scott agrees. 

“Youth of color face intense barriers when it comes to accessing secondary education, particularly in fields of study such as design,” he said. “Providing potential students with opportunity is one of the most powerful ways I know to change the world.” 

The Generosity of Time

In addition to coursework that’s challenged and inspired them, Rios and Franklin both say it’s been the connections between classes that’s made their Texas Tech education special. 

Rios became involved with the Texas Tech Therapeutic Riding Center through a class project. In her “Design in the Community” course, students were split into teams and assigned the riding center as a client. 

“We learned how important it is to spend time with clients and get into their environment,” Rios said. 

Each team put together a new branding campaign for the center. 

“My team actually won, so it was really rewarding,” Rios beamed. 

Franklin is still set on video game concept art. They were pleasantly surprised to learn of its relevance once starting at Texas Tech. A lot of game designers have bachelor’s degrees in graphic design because of the iteration process. 

“That was a huge inspiration for me choosing the program at Texas Tech,” Franklin said. 

The School of Art even has a digital narrative arts emphasis, but at the end of the day, Franklin chose graphic design, sensing it would give them a wider array of options later in their career while still designing games. 

The visit from Scott and Amy was the most recent highlight of a program that’s been an inspiring experience all around, both students say. 

Rios has received a few scholarships, and says she made a point to write a letter thanking donors for each one. When a professor told her the Dadiches were coming to meet her and spend a day with students, she said she had a bit of whiplash. 

“I realized, ‘I’m going to get to meet the guy who’s helping me progress as a designer,’” she said. “It was rewarding to give them a personal thank you and make sure they understood my gratitude. I come from a low-income family, so having people like this support me is what keeps me going.” 

Franklin shared with the group that while initially worried about what their family would think of pursuing an art degree, their family couldn’t be happier because of the support Franklin has received.

“I realized they don’t care what I’m majoring in; they’re just so glad I’m doing something that makes me happy. My grandmother told me recently, ‘I’m so proud of you for doing something with your talent,’” Franklin said.

The Practice of Gratitude 

Each of the six scholarship students who spent the day with Scott and Amy could tell similar stories. And after these six graduate, more will take their place. 

“The students were so thoughtful and inspiring,” Scott said. “While they were curious to hear from us and grateful for our visit, it was me and Amy who benefitted most. Hearing their stories and seeing their talent reinforced the importance of making sure everyone can pursue their dream of higher education.” 

Even for someone with success like Dadich, focusing on the big picture and the good is a habit to be practiced. Dadich says the world can certainly be a discouraging place at times. But he also, and more resoundingly believes, that when looking at the long arc of human history, humanity and goodness persevere. 

The students at Texas Tech are proving him right. 

“When I think about how I want to impact the world through design, I think about the voices that need to be shared,” Rios said. “As graphic designers, we’re in the business of communication. I see it as our job to speak out for people who can’t.”