There’s nothing like a good challenge to bring out the best in many people.
That was the case for Andrea Pereira de Almeida, a Bowling Green High School graduate who is in her
fourth year at Bowling Green State University.
Pereira de Almeida started as an architecture major at BGSU, but switched to visual communications
technology (VCT) after a year and a half. (Photo: Andrea Pereira de Almeida. 10/15/09 (Photo: J.D.
Pooley/Sentinel-Tribune))
The VCT major requires three co-op internships and Pereira de Almeida, a member of the women’s cross
country and track teams at BGSU, was able to secure an internship in the athletics department for the
summer of 2008.
There she was given the task to create a two-feet high, 350-feet long poster-like mural in the office
hallway on the east side of Perry Stadium. Pereira de Almeida was given artistic license to create the
mural, but she had no experience working with Photoshop and Illustrator on the computer.
“We had an idea to put some graphic enhancement in that hallway,” said Jim Elsasser, an associate
athletics director at BGSU. “She had the skill set to put that whole piece together. It was an idea
where she could do all the design and create the mural.”
All 18 sports at Bowling Green have a section in the mural, with both action and celebration photos from
all sports.
“I decided on something to celebrate all the sports. Basically the theme behind it is celebrating
athletics and team unity,” Pereira de Almeida said. “This was my first-ever big poster type project. I
had never really done much with Photoshop and Illustrator before that. It probably took me about a month
and a half to lay out and get all the ideas down on paper and everything. It took a little while to play
around and figure out what I wanted to do for the posters. Once I had the idea it just all came together
really nicely.
“It took a couple of months to actually get it printed, going back and forth to the printer, talking
about different file sizes and putting things in the proper folders to get printed,” she added. “It’s
pretty cool to have your own work up on the wall.”
Pereira de Almeida’s work was well-received.
“It’s awesome,” Elsasser said. “The response from the coaches in that hallway was outstanding. It’s a
tribute to her skills and her success.
“I basically told her this was her project, I’m going to let you run with it,” Elsasser added. “I was
essentially hands-off and she took it from the concept to the entire finished project. It’s fantastic.”

In addition to using the athletics department’s theme of “18 sports, one team,” Pereira de Almeida has a
thread running through the mural about having fun, enjoying what you do and making the most of the
experience at Bowling Green.
“Basically the message is do what you love and enjoy it. It’s supposed to be a fun poster, inspiring,”
said Pereira de Almeida.
This past summer Pereira de Almeida’s co-op was with a graphics firm in Toledo. Among the projects she
produced there were a poster that is in the golf training room at BGSU and two record boards at Perry
Field House for track.
In the summer of 2010 she hopes to be chosen for the Nike Adrenaline internship at the Nike headquarters
in Portland, Ore.
“I’m trying to do that. That’s my goal to get into that. Right now I’m getting my portfolio ready,”
Pereira de Almeida said about the Nike opportunity.
Pereira de Almeida, a member of three state championship cross country teams at Bowling Green High
School, is in her final year running for the Falcons.
“I won’t get to compete as a Falcon anymore (after track in the spring),” Pereira de Almeida said. “It’s
kind of bittersweet. I’ve had 10 years of competitive running. At the same time I’m going to be able to
run the rest of my life.
“I’m definitely going to miss the team aspect, competing with the team and the practices. I’m going to
try to do a few marathons, hopefully. I’m not done running, but it will be really sad to be done with
cross country and being with the team.”
Recently she was BG’s top finisher in the Iona Meet of Champions run in The Bronx, N.Y., taking 21st in
23:54.34 over a demanding course.
“She ran a very good race,” BG head coach Cami Wells said of Pereira de Almeida. “She was very strong
from start to finish.
“It was a break-through performance for her. She had her best effort against a strong field. It was a big
accomplishment for her.”
Because she switched majors and hopes to study abroad for at least a semester in Florence, Italy, Pereira
de Almeida will graduate in May 2011.
“After that first semester (in VCT), I said this is definitely what I want to do for the rest of my life
and I really, really enjoy doing it,” Pereira de Almeida said.