During each Commencement ceremony since 2019, Tyler School of Art and Architecture has presented each graduate with a limited edition class gift made by an alum. Known as the Diploma Project, the tradition connects students with previous generations of artists while celebrating Tyler’s legacy of creating and thinking.

This year, more than 360 graduates received an embossed multicolored print that reads “It’s Up to Each Individual to Make Learning Fun,” created by Trenton Doyle Hancock, TYL ’00. 

“In this age of digital diplomas, Tyler marks this momentous threshold with a physical object that reminds Tyler students of those who come before them, connecting past, present and future,” said Susan E. Cahan, dean of Tyler School of Art and Architecture. 

Hancock’s work spans various media and is influenced by comic books, cartoons and pop culture. His most recent exhibition, Draw Them In, Paint Them Out: Trenton Doyle Hancock Confronts Philip Guston, was on view at the Jewish Museum in New York City. His work is included in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum of American Art, among others.  
 
He came up with the phrase “It’s Up to Each Individual to Make Learning Fun” while attending the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, where his peers encouraged him to move to Philadelphia to attend Tyler.  
 
“‘It’s Up to Each Individual to Make Learning Fun’ became my mantra as I transitioned from Texas life to my new life in Philadelphia and on through my two years at Tyler. The defining sentiment is that we must continue to figure out how to be forever students, how to be curious about the world, and how to engage in self-motivated independent study,” said Hancock.  



   
  The print in inspired by the color and textures of children’s television programs. 


 
Hancock credits Tyler with playing a key role in shaping his artistic journey. “Being at Tyler ultimately changed my life as I gained critical thinking skills which, 25 years later, I still apply to my studio practice. I also forged lifelong unions with other students and artists which I have come to know as my valued and trusted community,” Hancock continued.  
 
Four students in Tyler’s printmaking program, three of whom are a part of this year’s graduating class, assisted with the embossing part of the production process. The Diploma Project team includes Ella Corson, Eliezer Israel Lompo, Ethan Alexander Podgers and Ryan Numair, led by professor and program head of printmaking Amze Emmons and Assistant Director of Academic Enrichment programs Erin Boyle.
 
Ella J. Corson, a Class of 2026 art education major from State College, Pennsylvania, cherished the social and technical benefits of working on the Diploma Project. “Working on the Diploma Project was so fun! Working together, figuring out the best techniques for the embossed look, and eventually getting into a rhythm was so satisfying. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to help out with this project for Tyler’s 2025 graduates,” said Corson.   
 
For students, it was an experience that embodies the message of the words on the print.  
 
“It’s not just a call to focus on the substance of learning, but to figure out your own personal learning methods and rhythms which might differ greatly from those of others,” said Hancock.

“Learning is a very personal act which opens one to the world.  Learning doesn’t have to be painful, in fact, it can be extremely fun if done right.”