Erik Hullinger is ready to escape the repetitiveness of his high school years, after visiting his future home, Chicago, he knew he didn’t want to stay in one place throughout his life. 

Hullinger will be getting his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree at the School of Art Institute of Chicago.

“It had everything I wanted,” he said. “I like the city more than I do San Antonio. There’s so much to Chicago, I fell in love with the city as soon as I went.”

Hullinger initially struggled with deciding between a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and a BFA, both would give him the qualifications to work with design companies after college graduation.

“I realized I liked the doing of art more than the art history components in a BA,” Hullinger said. 

While he has most everything mapped out—a job through school, a field after school, places to travel— Hullinger is a bit nervous to be on his own in a few months.

“I am going to miss knowing what I’m going to do,” he said. “The support network I’ve had has been right down the road, it’s going to be a big change.”

He knows he wants to do something in digital design that will allow him to work from “wherever he’s at.” 

“I want to travel,” he said. “I’m not the biggest fan of being in one place for too long at a time.”

But the thing he is most looking forward to moving to the big city is the difference from the small town limits of activities. 

“Here I kind of just go to the same two restaurants, or Target, and that’s it,” Hullinger said. “I want to try new restaurants and new things.”