A high school-aged Alyssa Duurloo (left) and her aunt and brothers [Photo courtesy of Alyssa Duurloo]
By Paul Guzzo, University Communications and Marketing
Alyssa Duurloo refers to Danielle Card-Howe as “the cool aunt.”
While Card-Howe is, in fact, her aunt, she prefers to think of Duurloo more like a cousin
“We’re only five years apart in age,” Card-Howe said, laughing. “Aunt makes me sound old.”
But Card-Howe’s influence on Duurloo is unmistakable.
“She’s the reason I chose USF,” Duurloo said.
When Duurloo walks across the stage at May’s commencement ceremony to receive her bachelor’s degree in graphic design, she will join USF’s global network of more than 400,000 graduates.
But, as USF celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, she will also become part of a growing tradition — multigenerational Bulls.
“I heard so much about her college experience that I thought, how can you not want to do the same thing your cool aunt did?” Duurloo said.
Alyssa Duurloo [Photo courtesy of Alyssa Duurloo]
Since January, Duurloo has helped market the same student experience that drew her to USF.
She works with the university’s student graphic design firm through the College of Design, Art & Performance, creating pieces that promote campus life, programs and events. Much of her work lives on social media, where she designs motion graphics and fast-moving visuals meant to grab attention in a split second — the same kind of content that once drew her to USF.
“Social media is so quick,” Duurloo said. “You have to capture people’s attention.”
After graduation, Duurloo hopes to put those skills to work in the entertainment industry.
She is drawn to the tourism and music industries, “where design moves quickly and visuals matter,” Duurloo said. “Design that lives on your phone or your TV, where you have just a few seconds to capture someone’s attention.”
Durloo’s attention was drawn to USF years ago.
Card-Howe and her high school sweetheart — now her husband, Jacob — attended USF together, with Card-Howe studying social work and Jacob majoring in information technology.
“I absolutely loved going to USF,” Card-Howe said. “I had such a wonderful experience there. It was the best decision I could have made.”
They then passed that enthusiasm on to Duurloo, who attended high school a short drive away in Ocala.
“She was always very involved in my life, especially growing up,” Duurloo said. “When I was in high school and she was in college, she’d invite me to visit or call to tell me stories. Hearing all of that made me want to follow in her footsteps.”
Little Alyssa Duurloo at a design table
Card-Howe still recalls her niece’s first visit to campus.
“We invited her down for a weekend so she could really check out the school,” Card-Howe said. “We showed her around campus — the Marshall Student Center, the athletic fields — all the places we spent our time.”
By the final day of the visit, Card-Howe noticed a shift.
“She said, ‘Wow, I think I really like this school,’” Card-Howe said. “After that weekend, it just clicked.”
Card-Howe and her husband now live in Boston, where they work as a teacher and a cloud engineer, respectively.
And nearly a decade after Card-Howe first showed her niece campus as a college student, the roles quietly reversed last year when she and her husband visited Duurloo.
“We walked around the Marshall Student Center, where all the bull statues are, and just talked about how things had changed,” Card-Howe said. “Seeing her there now, loving the campus the way we once did — that was really special.”