At a time when most of her classmates are vacationing and still celebrating their May 13 graduation, it is work as usual for Arion Jamerson.

The recent graduate of Howard University in Washington D.C. , said that if she had the time, she would read and sleep more, but most of her days and nights are consumed with her passion and dedication for design.

In addition to taking seven classes during her last semester in school, Jamerson also served as business editor of Howard's student newspaper, the Hilltop and first vice president of its National Council of Negro Women section.

And it does not end there for Jamerson.

Instead of celebrating after earning a cum laude degree in graphic design, Jamerson signed on to work as a designer for the New York Times Student Journalism Institute.

"There are so many things to get involved in because there's so much going on," she said, describing her alma mater's environment.

With one degree under her belt, she will continue working as a part-time design editor at Sports Weekly, a magazine published by USA Today.

Jamerson said road trips will be on her summer agenda, but by fall, she will return to school seeking a master's degree in communications design from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y.

For Jamerson, the work never ends.

SHAWNEE MCFARLAND