Teeny Nadeau was thrilled when opening an email last December notifying the art major that she was one of 10 finalists in the BOBS from Skechers Paws for a Cause Design Scholarship challenge.
Her prize for being a finalist was a free Bobs from Sketchers shoe.
“They were like, since you’re a finalist, you can have a free pair of shoes, any of the Bob’s line on our website,” Nadeau said. “So that was pretty cool. I got a free pair of shoes. I was like, OK, that’s probably all I’m going to get out of it.”
She was wrong.
A more prestigious prize was coming.
Open to students enrolled in colleges and universities in the U.S., the BOBS from Skechers Paws for a Cause Design Scholarship program invited applicants to create a cat- or dog-themed print for a BOBS from Skechers shoe. A winner would be named in both categories.
Nadeau submitted her black and white mosaic of several cats dressed in regal attire.
“I’ve always really liked fancy attire on animals,” said Nadeau, a double major in Illustration and Entertainment Art Animation. “I thought it was funny and cute. I designed it kind of based on what I would have wanted to see as a kid, because I’ve always really liked cats.”
Applicants were also asked to write about the design and share a personal story about a shelter/adopted pet or what the BOBS from Skechers collection means to them.
On a deeper, more heartfelt level, Nadeau’s design was a way of honoring her cat Firefly, who had recently passed away after battling cancer.
“I wrote a poem for Firefly because I just needed a way to get my grief out, and so I included that poem as well in my submission,” Nadeau said. “She was my birthday cat when I turned 7, and yeah, she was my best friend. We grew up together.”
Some time passed and then during the winter break, on Jan.19, Nadeau was informed that her design won first place.
“I just see this email like, ‘Congrats, you’ve won,’ ” Nadeau said. “And then I called my mom, she called her parents, and we just … we were just so incredibly over the moon.”
Nadeau’s winning design will be used for a limited-edition BOBs shoe, and the Skechers Foundation is also donating to a nearby animal welfare organization in the name of Firefly.
The gifted artist also receives a $10,000 college scholarship from the Skechers Foundation and one-on-one mentorship sessions with key Skechers design professionals.
Her Skechers design mentorship will begin in May.
“I just couldn’t believe that I had been given this opportunity,” she said. “Because to be honest, I wasn’t sure how I was going to pay for the next year of Fullerton.”
The finalists included multiple students from 20 schools nationwide, including colleges in California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.
“To see so many emotional submissions from across the country was inspiring,” said Kathy Kartalis, senior vice president of global product for Skechers. “Narrowing the decision down to the finalists was a real challenge, but we are thrilled with our two winning entries. We look forward to seeing people across the United States wearing their patterns later this year.”
The sales of BOBS have helped to save and care for approximately two million animals, Kartalis said.
Nadeau first learned about the Skechers Paws for a Cause Design scholarship in a computer-aided illustration class with Jesse Pak, lecturer in art.
She credits the instructor for sharpening her illustration skills, providing constructive criticism and boosting her confidence in her design’s development.
Nadeau’s passion for art began with her fascination with dragons as a young child.
“And my favorite TV show as a kid was American Dragon Jake Long, which was a show about a kid who could turn into a dragon whenever he wanted, and I just thought it was the coolest thing ever.”
Nadeau’s mother had a rule, however, which was not to watch cartoons in the morning before school.
But she made an exception when she watched Nadeau pausing the frames of TV shows and redrawing them.
“And she was like, ‘If you’re learning animation in the morning, you can watch this show,’ ” Nadeau said. “So, I was like, of course I’m going to keep doing this. I didn’t know that my mom was fostering this animation in me, her recognizing that it could be a passion.”
She participated in art classes at Saddleback’s College for Kids program.
“And I just loved it. I was mostly self-taught up until then. I really have always liked digital art, so I did digital animations and illustrations.”
Nadeau went on to earn an associate degree from Saddleback before transferring to CSUF, where she has immersed herself in the art community.
She serves as a social media specialist for CSUF’s Collective of Women in Animation, a nonprofit with chapters around the world that seeks to “empower and advocate for people of underrepresented gender identities in the art, technology, production, and business of animation.”
Nadeau is also the director of public relations for the Arts Inter-Club Council, a liaison for all arts organizations designed to increase communication within the College of the Arts and promote the growth of the art community.
