The Bismarck Human Relations Committee recognized Taylor Cook, a Century High School Senior and Bismarck Career Academy Empower[Ed] student for the skill, time and effort she put forth to create an updated logo for the Human Relations Committee (HRC). Mayor Steve Bakken and the HRC recognized Taylor’s efforts by presenting her with a certificate of appreciation. “Our partnership with the Career Academy and Taylor Cook couldn’t have been a better fit. She put her creative skills to use on an authentic project that resulted in a logo that strengthened our brand,” said Jason Grueneich, HRC member.

The HRC collaborated with Bismarck Public Schools Career Academy & Technical Center and student Taylor Cook. She created an updated logo for the committee’s use as one of her community projects through Empower[Ed], a personalized path to graduation based on who students are and how they learn best. Taylor provided a series of conceptual drawings to the HRC for their initial review and revised the concepts to reflect the wishes of committee members. A final design and color palette were provided to the committee during their December meeting and they unanimously accepted the updated logo. Taylor said she wanted to give the HRC a representation of Bismarck's diversity for the logo. “This was a great opportunity to work more on my passion of graphic design while also helping others. Jason and the team were very collaborative and fun to work with. I appreciated their honesty and timely feedback during the designing of the logo."

David St. Peter, Bismarck Public Schools Empower[Ed] Instructor said, "This is another great example of letting our students' capacities and talents shine. They just need to be given the opportunities to show off all their special talents. Empower[Ed] community projects are an awesome way for our high school students to learn, grow, and add value to their community." 

The goal of the Human Relations Committee in updating the logo was to more clearly represent the work the committee does within the community and to celebrate the value of a diverse community. The new logo will be proudly displayed at events and activities where the HRC has a presence. For example, the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration held in January each year and the Capital Pride event celebrated each summer.

The purpose of the Bismarck Human Relations Committee is to create an atmosphere of inclusion, equality and accessibility through education and outreach to recognize the value of a diverse community.