Leigh Anne Zeitouni (http://leighannezeitouni.com) graduated from NC State University in December of 2012 with a Bachelors in Graphic Design. Since graduating she has moved back to her hometown of Charlotte, NC and has been working as an in-house graphic designer at Sales Performance International, and as an individual freelancer in her free time.

Where are you from?

I was born and raised in Charlotte, NC. I went to school at Charlotte Catholic High School and then NC State University.

What attracted you to the design profession? Did you have particular mentors or experiences that opened the door to the profession for you?

Up until my junior year of high school I honestly had no idea what graphic design was or that it existed. I’ve been doing art since I could hold a crayon and have always known that I wanted to pursue a profession related to the arts. It was my guidance counselor at Charlotte Catholic, Maryangela Morgan, who introduced me to the idea of graphic design. I was fortunate enough to take a summer program at SCAD that focused on graphic design and after that I knew that’s what I wanted to do. Maryangela told me about NC State’s exceptional College of Design and the rest is history.

If there is karaoke at the next office party, what song will you be singing?

If there was karaoke at the next office party I would definitely sing “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” It’s always my go-to karaoke song!

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

The best advice or “words of wisdom” that I’ve ever received are: as time goes by you will always regret the things you didn’t do rather than the things you did. I always think about those words and it encourages me to try new things every day. Ideas and situations that at first seem daunting or unattainable have become goals.

What is your favorite food/book/movie (you pick one) and why?

My favorite movie is Across the Universe. I love the time period it was set in (late 1960s) and of course am a huge fan of The Beatles.

Each month, AIGA Charlotte strives to highlight one of its valued members. If you have any ideas for our next spotlight, please contact Mark Iafrate at miafrate@charlotte.aiga.org.