Editor’s note: The “Who is Syracuse?” series runs in The Daily Orange every spring to highlight individuals who embody the spirit of Syracuse University. The D.O. encouraged members of the campus community to nominate people who fit this description, and The D.O. selected the final eight nominees. This series explores their stories.

It’s hard to find a clutter-free spot in the Communications Design workspace, and Emily Osman’s desk is no different. The Syracuse University junior’s desk is covered with cardboard, paper, tape, posters and packaging material. Various pieces from her current projects and cardboard display cases from old assignments are scattered around the floor.

But Osman’s work isn’t limited to the Nancy Cantor Warehouse. Her designs are found throughout campus with a common theme: working for the greater good.

She’s pursuing a degree in communications design with a minor in entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises. Her major entails at least 15 hours of work a week and involves combining advertising, marketing and graphic design skills to create items like posters and product packaging.

Osman is the current vice president of fellowship at Alpha Phi Omega, a community service co-educational fraternity. She also works as a production designer for University Union, as a graphic designer for the social media team at the Atlantic Coast Conference network and as a design associate at Hillel at Syracuse University. She serves as vice president of the student chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts.

Growing up, Osman always needed to be creating art — her parents brought a clear backpack filled with coloring books and markers with them whenever they went on family outings. The constant drawing and coloring, which started merely as a way to keep Osman well-behaved in public, sparked her interest in art.

By high school, Osman was finding ways to combine her love for art with her desire to give back to the community. The Long Island native spent time teaching after-school art classes to young kids through her school’s art honor society. Osman is Jewish and made the most out of her birthday — December 25 — by visiting Jewish elderly homes in her town to play bingo with residents while others participated in holiday festivities.

“I always wanted to make my birthday more than just Chinese food and a movie,” Osman said. “I was always involved with things like that in my high school, and coming here (to SU), I needed to continue that.”

Osman joined APO her freshman year to satisfy the desire she had to help her community. She rose through the ranks of the organization and consistently clocks in more than the required 28 hours of service per semester, she said. This year she organized the fraternity’s first formal, which raised money for Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital, as well as a casino night fundraiser for the local chapter of Teen Challenge, a rehabilitation facility for teenage and adult men battling addiction.

“She’s always there for anyone, not just our brothers or her friends specifically,” said Hannah Gross, president of APO and a junior political science, economics and women’s and gender studies triple major. “And I feel like that translates to the Syracuse community as a whole. All the work she does for us and within her major, within Hillel, it’s really to empower others, and I think that’s so great and something so admirable about her.”

Through APO, Osman helps to serve food at Temple Concord, a Jewish congregation, to an average of 75 families to help get them through the week. She was in charge of organizing students from APO to help on Fridays at Temple Concord.

“I just love the hands-on projects where I’m really getting out into the community, and meeting people who need my help more than I need other people’s help,” Osman said. “Doing things like that is what keeps me going.”

Anil Gupta, a junior international relations major and treasurer of APO, has seen Osman’s constant dedication to others since freshman year.

“Her best attribute is her commitment to everything she’s involved in. It’s not like she puts one thing or one person over another,” Gupta said. “She just tries to make everyone happy.”

With her knowledge of design, Osman has created advertisements for Hillel activities, apparel and flyers for APO and is in the process of organizing community events for design students through her position as vice president of the SU chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts.

Rachel Aubrey, an assistant professor of communications design who has worked closely with Osman before, said that the junior goes above and beyond what’s expected of her as a designer.

“Many non-designers often think design is about learning the software and executing requests,” she said. “Design is many things — it’s research, problem-solving, concept generation, audience sensitivity, critical and creative thinking and aesthetic aptitude to name a few. That said, Emily’s design-related skills reach far beyond software capabilities.”

Osman said her dream job is to one day be a designer for the NHL because she likes that the NHL supports a lot of community organizations. She grew up a New York Islanders fan and played boys’ hockey in her hometown because there were no co-ed hockey teams. She played club hockey at Syracuse for a while, too.

Eventually Osman put down the stick to focus on designing, and it’s been worth it for her to do so.

“It’s just crazy to see something go from being on my 15-inch computer screen — to see it actually existing, makes it all worth it.”

Published on April 23, 2018 at 10:39 pm

Contact Amy: [email protected]