Venus Williams to Graduate from The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale

    FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Dec. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- International tennis
 superstar Venus Williams will be adding another accomplishment to her long
 list when she walks across the commencement stage on Thursday, December 13,
 to receive her associate's degree in Fashion Design from The Art Institute
 of Fort Lauderdale.
 
     Williams, who has been attending the college since the fall of 1999,
 has been dedicated to finishing her studies in the midst of Grand Slam, US
 Open, and Wimbledon wins to receive this long sought after degree. "I love
 fashion and the idea that I am using my design education to actually create
 clothing and footwear that reflects my personality and energy both on and
 off the court," said Williams of her new line, EleVen (TM).
 
     Andre West, chair of the Fashion programs at The Art Institute of Fort
 Lauderdale said, "Venus has been a blessing to the department in so many
 ways, her drive and focus as we know is somewhere in the stratosphere. She
 has taken that same drive that she shows on the court all the way to the
 cutting table, sewing machine and computer. We will miss seeing her smiling
 face in the hallways, the faculty, staff and students have enjoyed having
 such a mellow unassuming superstar in our presence. We have all given her
 as much effort as we could to follow her other dream -- fashion -- and she
 has given everything and more back to us by her dedication and flair. Not
 only having great portfolio, but graduating college is a dream come true
 for Venus."
 
     To learn more about The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, visit
 www.artinstitutes.edu/fortlauderdale?prid=VW_1107_001_pr .
 
     Background
 
     The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, www.aifl.edu, established in
 1968, is an applied arts college where' industry professionals teach
 design, technology, media arts, culinary arts, and fashion design. A
 variety of associate's and bachelor's degrees, as well as several diploma
 programs, are offered including Advertising, Animation Art & Design, Media
 Arts & Animation, Broadcasting, Culinary Arts, Digital Filmmaking & Video
 Production, Fashion Design, Fashion Merchandising, Game Art & Design,
 Graphic Design, Illustration, Industrial Design, Interior Design,
 Photography, Visual Effects & Motion Graphics, Video Production, and Web
 Design & Interactive Media.
 
 
 

SOURCE The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale