Whether you skipped class to lay out on HUB Lawn, walked to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for Solar Fest, or caught a glimpse from your dorm window, Happy Valley residents all turned to the sky last April to watch the solar eclipse.

Across the Penn State Commonwealth Campuses, schools spared no expense in celebrating this out-of-this-world occasion. From holding viewing parties to sponsoring festivals and leading education programs, students and community members joined together to gaze at the sun (with proper eyewear, of course). 

However, Penn State fourth-year marketing major Hailey Carey took her involvement in the eclipse festivities to a new level. In collaboration with the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Strategic Communications Department, Carey was the lead illustrator for “Sky’s the Limit”, a children’s book about exploring the wonders of the galaxy.

Although the book was intended to teach young readers about the solar eclipse, Carey said it also possesses themes of perseverance and individuality that transcend any age group, designed to touch the hearts of all readers. 

“We created the book in preparation for last spring’s solar eclipse. But we wanted to frame it in a way where we could inspire people of all ages, hence the title of the book,” Carey explained. “The book follows four children sharing their fascinations with outer space, and ends by telling readers to chase their dreams.”

Having a creative career was always in the cards for Carey. Growing up, she was known for commissioning portraits for her friends and family and always indulging in her love for art. Upon arriving at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, she wanted to find a major that would incorporate her interests in business while simultaneously allowing her to flex her creative muscles. After taking on a work-study with Wilkes-Barre Strategic Communications, Carey found exactly what she was searching for. 

“When I was a young girl, art and drawing were always my biggest hobbies, but as I got older I didn’t know if I wanted to make this a career,” Carey said. “Then, I fell in love with marketing. I learned that it is the midway point between the demand of business, a little bit of psychology, and you also get to be creative.”

Carey, normally a pen and pencil illustrator, said creating digital illustrations for “Sky’s the Limit” was a daunting task at first. Learning a new medium of making art posed its fair share of tough questions, including what color scheme would appeal best to readers and what the characters should look like. However, Carey used the experience to grow in her artistry and demonstrated the importance of prioritizing diversity and representation in character design. 

“I had just started getting into digital art, and it was the first time I used software for a serious project. That was an adventure in itself figuring out how to use different textures and draw each character,” Carey explained. “The four children in the book are of different backgrounds. I wanted anyone who reads the book to see their own image doing these things and being told that they can achieve their dreams. It was such a cool experience and really allowed me to grow a little bit more in my skill.”

All of Carey’s hard work paid off on April 8, when she got to promote and share the book with her Penn State WiIkes-Barre community. From showing off the book with the Nittany Lion on the local news station to signing book covers, Carey said she was honored to take part in a project vastly bigger than herself. 

Being able to see the positivity the book brought to the Penn State community, young and old, was extremely fulfilling for Carey and her team. After moving to University Park after two years at the Wilkes-Barre campus, Carey emphasized how much her relationships at Penn State have meant to her over these past four years. Despite the vast transition from Wilkes-Barre to University Park, she said the experience provided her with the space to form a close-knit community while also having the opportunity to explore her passions on a larger scale. 

“I knew I wanted to go to a Penn State Commonwealth Campus for college, where I could just get my foot in the water and still have the comfort of home. You get close to everyone at these campuses. There’s so much energy at Penn State and such a balance between hard work and hard play,” Carey said.

“Everyone shares this same sense of pride. Now that I am in the homestretch, it’s crazy how fast everything went by.” 

Similar to the characters in the story, Carey plans to follow her dreams and continue pursuing opportunities in the realm of illustrations. Last summer, she collaborated with a friend to illustrate an uplifting children’s book following a deaf main character. Despite her career aspirations in the field of marketing, Carey will never stop creating the art she loves and using her talents to show that the sky is truly the limit.