Norman graduates from WSU with distinction

It has been four years since Dominique Norman graduated from Medical Lake High School and she's accomplished quite a bit since her days as a Cardinal.

Norman's efforts helped her earn the honor of being named the 2016 WSU undergraduate student Woman of Distinction by the President's Commission on the Status of Women.

"I was very humbled to receive the honor," Norman said. "A lot of people put in a lot of hard work and energy and sometimes it goes unrecognized. This honor was a good push to remind me of what I do and what I'm passionate about."

Norman recently graduated from Washington State University with bachelor's degrees in apparel design and merchandising, along with a minor in comparative ethnic studies.

Norman will attend Parsons School of Design in New York City in the fall. She plans to pursue a master of arts in fashion studies.

While she attends Parsons, Norman said she wants to continue to promote diversity in fashion, something she has always tried to integrate into her education. She became the first student to offer a plus-size apparel option for design students in the apparel, merchandizing, design and textiles department. She also had a fashion show where all of her models were plus-size and women of color.

Norman's passion for fashion and promoting diversity began when she was younger. The daughter of Debi Norman, owner of Studio D Hair Design, Norman grew up in Medical Lake and described herself as an "eccentric and unique little girl."

"I've always been told that I'm 'fashionable,'" Norman said. "Raised by a single mother who was an entrepreneur, it shaped me into what I've become interested in."

During high school, Norman became the first Medical Lake High School student to attend the Visionary Inspiring Black Empowered Students (VIBES) conference, an experience she said "immediately opened my eyes to opportunities I had as a first generation college student and as a student of color."

Norman worked with a student mentor, which led her to becoming a mentor herself.

She had many roles at WSU as an undergraduate, including a new student mentor for Multicultural Student Services, an orientation counselor for New Student Programs and a peer-to-peer mentor for visitation events. She was also the public relations representative for YWCA, a senator for the Coalition of Women Students and a facilitator for Violence Prevention Programs.

"All of the positions I've taken as an undergraduate have been about giving back," Norman said.

She added that she recently became the recruit chair for VIBES, which allows her to return to Medical Lake and talk to students about the organization.

Norman also has a desire to travel, which she said was instilled by her mother's stories about growing up in Germany. During her time at WSU, she studied abroad at the Florence University of the Arts in Italy. She said Florence was different compared to other metropolitan areas in Europe in that "there's a good chance you see the same people every day." After she graduated from WSU, she spent two weeks in China where she visited Shanghai, Xi'an and Beijing.

"It was educational and everyone was like 'here's my culture, I want to share it with you,'" Norman said.

After Norman completes her master's degree, she wants to create a fashion magazine that highlights diversity and fashion, as well as educates consumers on where their products come from.

"It's been four years since I've graduated high school," Norman said. "All of these big things have happened to me. I can't believe where I am at."

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].