Podium Architecture Stars in Winning Holiday Card Design

A woman stands on a basketball court smiling and gesturing toward an easel with a digital drawing of students standing in the snow on the UAlbany campus with a leashed Great Dane.

Senior Aliyah Meléndez poses with the winning design in this year's Student Holiday Card Design Contest. Meléndez is majoring in art and art history, with a minor in pre-education. (Photo by Patrick Dodson)

ALBANY, N.Y. (Dec. 12, 2023) — The iconic lines of the Academic Podium’s architecture and a lovable Great Dane staring cross-eyed at a growing pile of snow on his nose won top honors in this year’s Student Holiday Card Design Contest.

The winning design, which also features a group of students talking amid a light snowfall, was submitted by Aliyah Meléndez of Cherry Plain, a senior majoring in art and art history in the College of Arts & Sciences with a minor in pre-education.

A digital drawing depicting a group of young people standing in the snow on the UAlbany campus with a leashed Great Dane staring cross-eyed at a pile of snow on his nose. — The winning submission from senior Aliyah Meléndez.

“The architecture of this campus is beautiful during the winter season, so I made it the shining star of this work,” Meléndez said. “It’s fun to walk around with friends even when classes aren’t in session!”

Meléndez’s design was chosen from among 40 submissions as the winner of the annual $1,000 scholarship. The three finalists were unveiled Thursday morning during the annual end-of-semester Community Coffee Hour with President Rodríguez at center court of the newly renovated Broadview Center, which opened last month.

First runner up Melena Andrade won a $650 scholarship with a design featuring a Great Dane sitting at the edge of a table full of mouth-watering holiday treats, a bit of drool hanging from his tongue.

“I believe that food and cooking are incredibly powerful unifiers that have a way of bringing together people and communities regardless of language barriers or conflicting beliefs,” said Andrade of Colonie, a first-year graduate student studying social work in the School of Social Welfare.

Three people standing smiling on a basketball court next to an easel with a digital drawing of a Great Dane drooling at a table full of holiday foods. — Vice President Michael Christakis (left), SSW graduate student Melena Andrade and President Rodríguez with Andrade's runner-up design of a Great Dane drooling over a table full of holiday treats. Andrade's design won a $650 scholarship. (Photo by Patrick Dodson)

“A warm cooked meal made from a recipe that was passed down from generation to generation has the power to say so much, which is why I chose to focus the theme of my design around a Great Dane, representing UAlbany and our community, preparing to feast on an assortment of traditional holiday foods from many different cultures around the world,” Andrade said.

A digital drawing depicting the Roman Goddess Minerva embracing Damien the Great Dane as they look into the distance at a brilliantly colorful night sky silhouetting the University at Albany campus. — CEHC graduate student Cynthia Ng's second-runner-up design depicts Damien the Great Dane and Minerva, both longtime symbols of the University, watching as a brilliantly lit winter sky silhouettes UAlbany's distinctive architecture in the distance.

Cynthia Ng, a first-year graduate student from Queens studying information science, won a $350 scholarship as second runner up with a design that “depicts Minerva and Damien gazing at a clear sky as the sun rises for the first time in the new year.”

“UAlbany is highlighted under this new light, representing a beacon of knowledge for young minds looking to create a better world. Just as there are many stars in the sky, there are many leaders, advocators and innovators born at UAlbany, and Minerva and Damien are expectant for what the future holds,” said Ng, who is in the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity.

Vice President for Student Affairs Michael Christakis, who emceed the unveiling event, noted the holiday card contest began in 2018 after a meeting early in the president’s tenure during which he stressed the importance of campus traditions.

“This year’s 40 entries were impressive, and selecting a winner was not an easy task,” President Rodríguez told the crowd assembled in the arena. “Thank you to every artist who participated in this year’s contest. Your creativity is an endless source of pride and inspiration to me.”

Meléndez’s winning design will be shared digitally with students, faculty, staff and friends of the University later this morning as part of UAlbany’s annual holiday card.