Career Chronicles: Terry Cuddy
More than 21 years ago, Terry Cuddy was teaching at Cayuga Community College when he learned that the Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES Career and Technical Education Department was looking to start a graphic design class. The opportunity immediately caught his attention.
“I always wanted to teach high school students, because I see them as being earnest and happy to be here at BOCES,” said Cuddy. “I also remember how I felt when I was in high school, and felt like I could make a difference.”
With years of experience in print design and a background in media arts production, Cuddy envisioned the class as one that would go beyond traditional graphic design. During his interview, he advocated for including media and animation to help keep the class relevant as the industry evolved. When he was hired, he gave the program a name that reflected that vision: Graphic Design & New Media — the same program he still teaches today.
In the Graphic Design & New Media class, students learn graphic design, illustration, digital photography, marketing, computer animation, web design, and video production techniques. Over the years, the curriculum has continued to evolve alongside industry trends.
“We started off with print and a little bit of web design. Now it’s very much social media and content creation. The terminology has changed quite a bit, but the new media part of the class incorporates all of it,” he said.
While technology continues to change rapidly, Cuddy says his focus remains on helping students grow as creative thinkers.
“I focus more on the students’ development as thinkers, like ‘What can I do that allows me to express myself?’ or ‘What’s going to make me more viable for a job?’”
Looking back, Cuddy believes teaching high school students was the right choice. He says BOCES students are invested in their work and at an important turning point in their lives during their final years of high school.
“When I was in high school, I was interested in art and wanted to create a program that gave students a perspective that I wish I had when I was in high school,” Cuddy said.
Over the years, Cuddy has seen his students move on to careers as producers in Los Angeles, launch their own graphic design businesses, and earn recognition for their creative work. One recent interaction especially stood out to him: a parent approached his wife to share how much Cuddy had helped her son through high school.
Beyond technical skills, Cuddy says he hopes students will leave his classroom with tools to be successful in the real world, like problem solving, empathy, and critical thinking.
“The technical skills are the easy part,” he said. “The hard part is teaching them how to be respectful human beings and caring for each other. That, to me, is more important than making a logo.”
Outside the classroom, Cuddy serves as a city councilor for Auburn. He and his wife also perform together in a band, and they have a son in high school.