University Of Missouri-St. Louis: Teach In 12 Graduate Scott Boyd Goes From Graphic Design, Target Shooting To Teaching

Press release from the University of Missouri-St. Louis:

October 21, 2021

As a member of his college shotgun sports team, Scott Boyd used his keen sense of focus and steady hand to knock small clay disks out of the sky in an instant with the squeeze of a trigger.

He doesn’t use that steady hand for shooting much these days, though. For the last several years, he’s turned it toward art and a new career in art education.

While competing as an undergraduate at Lindenwood University, Boyd became interested in graphic design after initially studying biology.

“It wasn’t something I really sought out,” Boyd said. “I didn’t really take art classes in school. I don’t think I realized that art was a serious professional endeavor until I was in college.”

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree and working in the graphic design field for several years, Boyd came to the University of Missouri–St. Louis to earn his teaching certificate through the Teach in 12 program. The College of Education’s unique program allows post-bachelor’s students interested in teaching to earn their certification in about 12 months.

Boyd was already well versed in art and design, and the program quickly got him up to speed on structuring lesson plans, managing a classroom and pedagogy. He also learned how to quickly adapt to the unexpected in the classroom. It’s all been useful this fall as he’s started his first education job as an art teacher at Lucas Crossing School Complex in Normandy.

Given his family history, the career change isn’t too surprising.

“I come from a family of teachers,” he said. “I knew some of the behind the curtain stuff pretty early. My dad was a teacher. His sister was a teacher and administrator. My brother is in education and his fiancée is in education. So, I’m surrounded by teachers. I decided to join the club.”

As a child, Boyd first learned how to use a shotgun in the Boy Scouts. From there, he became interested in deer hunting, and some fellow hunters introduced him to competitive target shooting.

The sport involves different games designed to test shooters’ accuracy and speed with a shotgun. The most common contests are trap shooting, skeet shooting and sporting clays. Numerous targets – orange clay saucers – are launched in front of the shooter from different angles depending on the game, often simulating hunting scenarios.

Boyd competed for a shooting team sponsored by a small gun club in Pevely, Missouri, throughout high school. The team competed in tournaments across the Midwest, and the experience helped Boyd sharpen his marksmanship. Eventually, he attracted the attention of Lindenwood’s shotgun sports team and earned a scholarship.

However, joining a high-profile team with multiple national titles was difficult at first, as Boyd was no longer the star.

“In high school, I shot for a little gun club, and in that pool of shooters, I was a big deal,” he said. “Then I go into Lindenwood, which is recruiting from all over the world.”

Despite the initial adjustment, Boyd was grateful for the experience. He was able to travel extensively and shoot with teammates who would go on to compete in the Olympics. He also discovered a passion for art and graphic design when he wasn’t on the range.

Boyd always had a knack for drawing and was only doing “mediocre” in his biology classes, so he decided to switch majors. After graduating, he went to work as a graphic designer at an apparel company, Affiliate Merchandise Group.

“My first six months or so there, I realized how little I actually knew,” Boyd said. “I think that’s how a lot of people are going into their first job, but I had an amazing mentor at that company – a crazy good illustrator.”

The company primarily designs custom T-shirts for fraternities and sororities, but it also has a retail side, which allowed Boyd and his colleagues to be creative and experiment with new designs.

“That was fun because we got to explore different ideas that had been rattling around our heads,” Boyd said. “My creative director was just an awesome dude, and we had a weekly meeting where we took cool stuff we found on Instagram that other artists were doing and had half-hour art talks.”

Boyd also worked on art projects in his free time to express his creativity. One even caught the eye of one of his favorite musicians, BJ Barham, the lead vocalist and guitarist of the alternative country band American Aquarium. Boyd has found inspiration for his artwork in Barham’s lyrics, which often focus on working class labor issues.

This press release was produced by the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The views expressed here are the author’s own.