Mollie Coons

As "the ultimate college town," Burlington's unique blend of boutiques, eateries and coffee house culture make it an easy choice for students to call home.

But for Mollie Coons, the city was already home. A native "Burlingtoner," Mollie went to high school just blocks from the college and started skiing when she was just three.

Another fun fact about Mollie? She's been drinking her coffee "black" since the 7th grade. "I admire my Dad and that's how he drinks it," she says.

The ability to remain close to her family made Champlain the perfect choice for Mollie.

"I wanted a small school in a safe environment," she says. Accordingly, she made the choice to move into campus housing — a wise one for her. Mollie loves that "Residence Life here is so unique; the 'homes' really make it a family community."

Mollie is also quick to describe what a mind-opening, academic adventure Champlain has been for her.

"I never opened the Adobe suite (which includes industry standards like Photoshop and Illustrator) before I became a Graphic Design & Digital Media major here. I love them all, but Illustrator is my hands down favorite — it's the ‘Rock n' Roller' of the suite!"

Mollie's passion for Flash animation is also apparent. "One of my favorite professors challenged us to do a 2-D animation piece using Flash. So I did a Rotoscope cartoon about laundry. And laundry is something I hate doing to begin with, but folding clothes in Flash is even more challenging!"

While she may hate laundry, Mollie loves music and movies (her favorite is Young Frankenstein) and even did an internship designing posters at a leading Burlington music venue.

These "graphic" lessons symbolize one of the greatest things Mollie has learned at Champlain: "Education isn't just about the pursuit of knowledge, it's an emotional experience."

So when you tour Champlain's campus, keep an eye out for Mollie. She'll have a "Life is Good"™ bag on her shoulders and a cup of coffee in her hand. For the record, she prefers Dark Star, a variety of Awake Coffee (one of Vermont's own brands).

If you happen to miss Mollie, don't worry. Chances are you'll see her graphic design work all over campus.