Sheryl Checkman

MATT 2014 PUNTA MITA MEXICOCurrent Home City: New York, NY

Your College: Arts and Sciences

Email Address: sheryl@checkmandesign.com

Twitter Handle: @diveartist

Tell us what you’re doing with your life:
Spent the summer of 1977 studying design (and having a blast) at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and received graduate credits towards a Master’s program at Pratt Institute in NYC. I started my design career working for some small design & marketing firms and then began working for PR giant, Burson-Marsteller for close to 12 years, where I was a VP & Design Manager. I left Burson in 1992 and started my own graphic design firm, where I still design branding for print and web.

I have also designed a branded line of t-shirts under the name Life is Balance®, which I sell online along with my fine art photography and home decor items, jewelry and other wearables.

me-mon-cornell-dorm-sherylIn between working and creating I am an avid skier and scuba diver, and I enjoy yoga, swimming and photography.

In what year did you last set foot on the Ithaca campus, and what was the purpose of your visit?
Last time I was back at Cornell was for our last Reunion in June of 2012. I designed our class logo and serve on the Class Counsel.

Provide your favorite memory of your time at Cornell.
Taking turns cooking dinners in the dorm at Balch (my specialty was Eggplant Parm made with a hot plate and toaster oven), Relaxing in the sun at Flat Rock during senior week, visits to Treman State Park, Going for a Straight Break while studying at Uris Library, hanging out at the Nines learning to like the taste of beer (not)…

Tell us about the most interesting things you’ve done since 1977.
I created a brand of t-shirts called “Life is Balance®” that celebrates the sports & activities that balance our lives.

I swam with a whale shark while scuba diving in the Turks & Caicos and crossed Palau off my bucket list last year.

shery-neil-cornell-footballI’ve skied in the Rockies, New England, Europe, and the Canadian Rockies.

Please provide some items from your Bucket List.
• Go on a land Safari to Africa and then follow with a Sea Safari (diving off the coast of Africa)
• Travel & scuba dive all the great dive destinations — including Fiji, Tahiti, Maldives, Seychelles, Galapagos, Bali, etc.
• Travel through Italy
• Go back to Greece
• Live in another country or on a tropical island

What are you looking forward to at our 40th reunion in June, 2017?
Hanging out at Flat Rock with Lori Panzer and her husband Ken (It’s a reunion tradition we started way back); re-connecting with classmates and faculty that I haven’t seen in at least 5 years; walking around campus and collegetown ; and dancing in the tents!

Posted in Cornell Daily Sun, Graphic Design, Psychology.