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Showcase spins web of surprise for Boardman grad
By Ashley Luthern
BOARDMAN
For 20 minutes, a Boardman man stood alone at a prestigious college’s art-portfolio showcase, watching as his peers got all of the attention.
“No one came and looked at my stand, and I noticed all of these things that I thought I could do better or that I thought weren’t strong,” said Ryan Rosati, a 2007 graduate of Boardman High School.
Rosati then was shocked to hear his name called for the “Best in Show” award for Web Design Interactive Media Division at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh’s 2010 Portfolio Review on June 17.
“It was a total surprise,” he said.
The Portfolio Review is a quarterly event in which graduating students of the institute display their work, said Tony Corasaniti, director of career services at the school.
“It’s very important because we invite employers and job offers are made that day or interviews take place,” Corasaniti said. “It puts [students] in a professional environment to display their work.”
The “Best of Show” award is voted on by the faculty of each department. The Art Institute of Pittsburgh has about 2,800 students enrolled, and this spring, 131 students — including Rosati — graduated.
This type of award is a first for Rosati.
“He’s been really involved with art since high school, but he was never a first-place winner in anything,” said Lynne Rosati, his mom. “He won ribbons, but never first place.”
Lynne Rosati paints in watercolor and has taught art at local schools for more than 20 years. Living in a household with her and Gary Rosati, Ryan’s father, a lawyer who makes models in his spare time, greatly influenced the web designer.
“Family fun time was making homemade Christmas cards or doing little artsy projects,” Ryan Rosati said. “... It’s [my dad’s] right side of the brain that likes to do science and law, and that pushed me to go into the web and gain a technical skill.”
A day after he won “Best of Show,” Ryan earned a bachelor’s degree in web design less than three years after beginning the program. He is freelancing for clients in Northeast Ohio and around Pittsburgh, giving him time to pursue his other interests.
“I like politics. I like to watch anime. I make a mean grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I play tennis,” he said. “I’m just your average superhero kinda guy.”