The video is a heartfelt tribute to the late Pauline Hudel Smith, featuring multiple former students and colleagues who share personal memories and reflections on her impact. Speakers emphasize her deep respect for students as human beings, her fierce advocacy for them within the local design community, and her mentorship style that combined direct, brutally honest critique with supportive encouragement. Anecdotes illustrate how Pauline’s guidance continued to influence graduates in professional settings, such as hearing her voice during early agency work, and the symbolic "critique bear" she used in class to foster resilience. Collectively, the speakers celebrate her legacy as a transformative educator whose influence endures in the confidence, ambition, and design ethos of those she taught.
Chapters
Pauline didn't just see us as students. She saw us as human beings. She respected us. She advocated for us. And we were so lucky to have her.
Pauline cared so much about her students, and I really felt that through her.
This award is a deeply meaningful tribute to a career spent fiercely advocating advocating for and educating students in the local design community.
You know, Pauline had this motherly aura about her in the classroom and in our program.
When I had my first agency job, it was her voice in my head.
I think of her all the time when I'm doing something challenging, difficult. I know she would push me to do the best I can.
She knew where to turn those knobs to make you better and also how to bring you in to make you not feel left out.
I think many of us become We become designers because we want to make the world a better place in our own way. Pauline changed the world. There's no doubt about it.
One of the things I admired most about Pauline was just her way of being direct.
She was brutally honest with me, which was exactly what I needed.
I really like very straight and honest talk because I'm always looking for ways to improve, and she would dish it out to you very, very well.
But she had a critique bear that she would bring to class, the bear would be passed from student to student, so whoever was being critiqued at that time had something to hold on to for support. Pauline made you want to do better.
Pauline made you know, like, would like help you know that you could be a better version of yourself, that you could always be a stronger designer.
She didn't coddle anybody, but if you showed that you were interested in learning from her and wanting to take in her wisdom, She would give that to you full-fledged.
Pauline, you respected us, you advocated for us, you made us more confident and pushed us to be the best we could be.
Yeah, I miss you dearly, and you're so deserving of this award.
Your legacy lives on in every student you believed in, and you've had a profound impact on my career as an educator and an artist and a designer.
I wish that I could tell Pauline, thank you for believing in me and showing me that it is absolutely perfectly okay to push boundaries and show up in spaces that may not have been molded for me.
The world has lost a great force for design, and she will be deeply missed. Goodbye, Pauline, and thank you.
