When You Know, You Know: Why Elly Medcalf Only Had Eyes for RIT

In the US, there are approximately 2,600 bachelor’s degree granting universities and colleges that Elly Medcalf could have considered, but for her, it was always RIT. To the chagrin of her guidance counselor and the puzzlement of her friends in southwest Ohio, she applied to only one college—RIT. 

While not having a back-up plan seemed like a bit of a gamble to some, Medcalf was convinced she had found the perfect major and the perfect place for her. “I remember getting a poster that said ‘You’re on to Something Amazing, Elyana’ with my name printed on it (good design!), and on the back it listed studies in digital humanities and social sciences, and I was like: ‘This is it! This is what I need to do’,” said Medcalf.

Before discovering RIT’s humanities, computing, and design major, Medcalf feared she’d be pigeonholed into studying one discipline in college. “I knew I wanted to study the liberal arts. I knew that I wanted to do design work. I knew I wanted to study coding, and this program was literally exactly what I had been looking for.” 

Later, a visit to campus and a meeting with Program Co-Director Jessica Lieberman confirmed her decision. “It felt like home. I decided I need to go here, and it's been amazing,” she said. Now, having recently graduated with the RIT College of Liberal Arts class of 2026, Medcalf is pursuing a job in project management and aims to put her freshly honed skills to work in the humanities, technology, or creative industries. 

“One of the things I’m most proud of doing while at RIT is being the project manager for The HCD Hub as my capstone project,” explained Medcalf. The HCD Hub first began as a student-created website to showcase capstone projects as examples and inspiration for other students. Over the years, its content and goals shifted as new students began working on the site and others moved on or graduated. It needed cohesion. It needed a clear vision. It needed wrangling, and Medcalf gladly took it on. 

“We decided that we were going to take it to the finish line, and now it’s finally up and running," she said. "Being the project manager for that has been really cool because I have just been blessed with an amazing team. Everybody is so talented and hardworking and is ‘all in’ on this project to make sure that it's something that they're proud of, too.”

Today, still student-managed and created, the site serves as both a resource for student success and a place to highlight the inspiring and broad range of work students in the program do. With Medcalf at the helm, the team expanded the contents of the site to also include peer-to-peer guidance on pursuing co-ops or internships (a requirement of the degree program), links to RIT resources for help, FAQs, and insights on courses to take within the major. The site also facilitates current student connections with alumni, current faculty, and each other.  

“It’s been so nice to be part of a project that’s resulted in something actionable and usable. I was able to contribute not only to my transcript and my grades, but to my program and to future students,” she said. 

While Medcalf’s experience with The HCD Hub project provided the chance to build skills in project management, user experience, and website design, other experiences through her major allowed her to delve deeper into areas like history, humanities, and archives. 

“Dr. Steve Galbraith’s History of the Book class [MUSE-361 Tablet to Tablet: A History of Books] was, hands down, my favorite,” she said. “In that class, I got to touch a cuneiform tablet, look at a page of the Gutenberg Bible, and handle a book from the 17th century. There is so much humanity in the history of books. It’s the part of history I feel I can learn about forever. I’m a total nerd for bibliography now.”  

Additionally, working as a digital archivist in RIT Archives and being an undergraduate research assistant for RIT’s Urban Arts and Culture Lab led by Lieberman were experiences that broadened her skills and helped focus her goals. 

“Everyone who works in RIT Archives is incredible, but I realized after that experience that it’s not something that I want to do. I was able to figure that out early, in my second year, which was very nice,” she said. “Working with Jess, I was able to beef up my research skills, which could be really useful if I decide to go to grad school at some point.” 

With access to courses and faculty across RIT’s specialized colleges, the ability to have immersive experiences, explore paths, and discover those that best fit each individual student is a valued benefit of the HCD major. 

“I've grown so much just personally and as a professional, like I can't even imagine going to another school. I'm so grateful for my education here,” said Medcalf.