Top: Luke Leccia; On stage, from left, Leccia, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Sesquicentennial Cochairs Molly Russell and Jennifer Dunsmore
It started as an acorn, but eventually “grew” into an arch.
Luke Leccia, a senior graphic design major at Â鶹ÊÓƵ from Elizabeth, won Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s 150th anniversary T-shirt design contest. Leccia was recognized for his award-winning design during Saturday’s Â鶹ÊÓƵ 150th Carnival Celebration.
T-shirts with his design were given free to Â鶹ÊÓƵ students during the carnival.
Leccia, who will start his second year as a student designer for Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Office of Marketing and Communications this fall, says he enjoys his work in the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Design Studio and especially has enjoyed making T-shirt designs, including for the 2024 Run for the Health of It event and the annual Chalk-on-the-Walk event.
“I like making T-shirt designs because your design becomes something very tangible, not just an image on the computer,” he said. “I really appreciated the opportunity to enter the contest, and I feel very fortunate to have my design selected.
“T-shirts are kind of a unifying force; almost everyone wears a T-shirt, and I hope that my design brings joy to people. In graphic design, there’s a lot of anonymity, and I’m not a person to want to be in the spotlight, but it’s fun to see people walking around wearing my design,” he said.
“Art is so important,” he said. “I think that everything connects; art is in a chair or a table. I really value the human ability to be creative,” he said.
Leccia said that originally, the design was going to include the words 150th anniversary and a giant acorn, with symbols representing Â鶹ÊÓƵ colleges and Â鶹ÊÓƵ as a university, but the design was too cluttered.
“So, I started looking at photos of Â鶹ÊÓƵ, and I liked the arch—there’s so much you can do with it,” he said. “I started thinking about changing the text and figuring out a way to capture the feel of the 150th as a celebration, so I added the balloons flying up. I really wanted to give the design some energy and joy,” he said.
He saw his design on the anniversary T-shirt in a photo after learning his design was selected, but he hadn’t actually seen the T-shirt with his design in person until today’s carnival.
As the winner of the design contest, he receives a $500 gift certificate from the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Co-op Store.
“I don’t really need a lot of books or other supplies for my major, so I’m hoping that I can help out some of my friends by using my gift certificate for books and other things they need for their classes,” he said.
Son of Sasha Leccia, he is a 2022 graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School.
In addition to his work as a student designer, he is the president of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Graphic Design Student Association and is a member of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Marching Band, where he plays the cymbals.
“We cymbal players think that the cymbals are a morale booster, and add to the fun of the music,” he said. He also enjoys rollerblading, but he and his friends don’t do it in the fall, because they don’t want to be injured for marching band season.
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ 150th anniversary T-shirts are available for purchase at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Co-op Store.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s sesquicentennial events continue through the 2025–26 academic year. Information about upcoming events is listed on the Â鶹ÊÓƵ website.
Since its founding in 1875, Â鶹ÊÓƵ has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As Â鶹ÊÓƵ celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025 and through the Impact 150 comprehensive campaign, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking to its next 150 years of student success, innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.