
“What are those big buildings, can I go to college one day, and who is our mascot?"
These are some of the many questions posed by Heather Allen, Student Affairs Executive Assistant, to the little ones at the Family Development Center (FDC), whose drawings are now displayed in the Main Hall fourth floor conference room. When Allen was tasked with upgrading the conference room to hybrid, she used it as an opportunity to redecorate and incorporate local art from the curious kids from across the street.
"The FDC allowed me to visit and engage with the amazing four-year-old kiddos who will be starting their educational career in Kindergarten next year," Allen explained. "During my visit, I read a book about college and after reading, the kids and I had a fun and lively discussion about many things - the buildings across the street, what their loved ones do at UCCS, what they can be when they grow up and who our mascot is."

Previously, the room's bookshelves were covered in CU Board of Regents' meeting minutes books from the 1970-1990s. Allen had those books archived, painted the room to lighten it up and took on refilling the bookshelves as an art project.
"I've always had a passion for art and my sons - the oldest of whom is now a UCCS freshman and working at Big Cat Coffee - used to go to FDC, so it has a special place in my heart. This idea came to me from my previous times volunteering at the FDC, and it felt like a fun, alternative way to decorate while also teaching the FDC kiddos a little about campus," said Allen. "After our discussion, I asked them to pick a coloring sheet they would like to display in one of the rooms in the ’big building covered in ivy.' As you can see in the conference room, most picked Clyde - he was a hit!"
Go see the art while you can, as Allen plans to continue featuring artwork from local communities and rotating the collection every few months.
"My next project is with a Girl Scout troop, with whom I plan to discuss the many career paths they can pursue and teach them about college as it helps them focus on their passions," Allen shared. "Then I am going to have them create art around what they want to be when they grow up and encourage them to know they can pick more than one thing as life leads us in many directions/chapters. My project after that is with a juvenile detention center where I will discuss the options they have, let them know that college is still - and has always been - an option for them, that they are capable, and we are here for them to pursue it. I am going to have them create art out of clay and let them find their inner artist."