![\"Graduation](\"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Graduation-Cap_blue-500x500-e1586882554282.png\")
<\/a>CELEBRATING SUCCESS:<\/strong> During this time when we cannot come together to celebrate our graduates, UToledo is recognizing the Class of 2020 with a series of feature stories on students who received their degrees during our Dec. 6 virtual commencement ceremony<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n Mansel-Pleydell, 24, was born in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia, but was raised in Ney, Ohio, located a short northwest drive from Defiance, where she has lived since enrolling in UToledo.<\/p>\n The oldest of seven children, Mansel-Pleydell grew up on a rural homestead raising animals, gardening, showing livestock in the local 4-H program and enjoying small-town living. In fact, she originally pursued pre-veterinary sciences as a degree at a private university, before transferring to a local community college where she earned an associate’s degree in entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n \u201cI was still really trying to discern what exactly my calling was and what degree would help me achieve my goals for my career,\u201d Mansel-Pleydell said. \u201cI knew I wanted a bachelor’s degree and ever since graduating high school, I had become more and more interested in a career in the arts.\u201d<\/p>\n It was a love for the arts, as fostered by her family, that influenced Mansel-Pleydell to pursue her UToledo degree. And it was UToledo\u2019s proximity to and affiliation with the Toledo Museum of Art that attracted her to the BFA program.<\/p>\n \u201cI fell in love with TMA as a community college student when I went there for a project,\u201d Mansel-Pleydell said. \u201cAnd I was thrilled to find that, as a UToledo art student, I took many, many art history and studio art classes which referenced TMA works, had sessions inside the galleries \u2013 sometimes even after-hours, so we had the whole museum to ourselves \u2013 and used works as models for drawing or painting projects.<\/p>\n \u201cThe partnership and availability of the museum was 100% worth it,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n During her time at UToledo, Mansel-Pleydell said she enjoyed \u201cmany great experiences,\u201d though her time at UToledo wasn\u2019t always easy.<\/p>\n It was a love for the arts, as fostered by her family, that influenced Rose Mansel-Pleydell to pursue her BFA at UToledo.<\/p><\/div>\n A disappointing score she received for her junior fall art review was painful but proved to be crucial to her growth as a student and artist.<\/p>\n \u201cI simply was not well-prepared, and I gave my poorest portfolio and presentation,\u201d Mansel-Pleydell said. \u201cBecause my faculty and mentors encouraged me and told me I could have done better that fall, I came back with a clearer voice and more eloquent work than ever before. I am thankful for the rigorous program which refused to let me be a mediocre artist, and instead challenged me to be great.\u201d<\/p>\n Hernandez, an associate professor in the Department of Art, was among her mentors who pushed her to do better following that project. He was on sabbatical that fall semester but the pair talked a few days following her review.<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing that is remarkable about Rose is that she absorbs and processes critical feedback in a positive way,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cShe is a talented artist for sure, but it is this ability to listen, understand and quickly apply instruction that sets her apart from other students.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere some students are resistant to input, Rose takes advantage of it to the best of her ability. She turned what was for her a failure into a positive learning experience by applying this skill.\u201d<\/p>\n And while graduation accolades from family and friends are increasingly infrequent as the weeks go by since the Dec. 6 virtual commencement, Mansel-Pleydell\u2019s euphoria for her accomplishment is undiminished.<\/p>\n \u201cI still can proudly tell people I am a college graduate,\u201d she said. \u201cNo matter what degree I now bear, I am so thankful for the lessons about life I learned while forging my way these past six and a half years.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" UToledo\u2019s proximity to and affiliation with the Toledo Museum of Art attracted Rose Mansel-Pleydell to the bachelor of fine arts program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":878,"featured_media":63463,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59,50,4,60,69,7],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63456"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/878"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63456"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63506,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63456\/revisions\/63506"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a><\/a>