Interning at Student Life & Development provided me with the experience to communicate with people I wouldn’t necessarily meet. For example, I had the chance to see the President or Vice President check in at certain student events. I also got to interact with the people involved in providing equipment for events or those involved with sharing announcements on the hallway TVs. It is a great network experience because I get to learn about what other departments do on campus.
In regards to a mentor, I would consider my supervisor, Giovanna, a great mentor to have. She is the social media coordinator and graphic designer for SLD. She is actually a Communication Design alumni. I have learned a lot from her. She really pushed me forward and provided critical feedback on projects I worked on. I was able to get the experience I wanted and needed to solidify my work in graphic design. Whether it be teaching me shortcuts for a better workflow or letting me take initiative on a design, I was able to grow rapidly and put into practice what I had learned in classes.
One important takeaway I valued is the feedback she would give me. I looked forward to and was open to critique because I wanted to grow. Sometimes in design, I could get carried away with colors or illustrations and keep going without structure. I would forget the importance of design and find myself questioning the purpose of the colors. What is the intended purpose?
