Finding role models/mentors could be difficult for some people. Sometimes they are just in front of your eyes, whether it’s on your campus or with you at work. My supervisor at Faculty Commons, Professor Julia Jordan, is a role model and mentor to me for the past two years. She has showed me how to be practice professionalism and become even more detail orientated.

Because this internship takes places on campus, one can say that it’s a “safe” place to make mistakes. I will admit that I came to college with my high school mindset, didn’t have proper attire for my age, didn’t know how to express myself appropriately, and was afraid to greet strangers. Prof. Jordan made sure every design intern says hello to all our neighbors in the open office from day one of training, have proper email etiquette, etc.

Even though she didn’t come from a graphic design background, she has taught me the importance of other little details aside from the aesthetics of a design. We would have each other scan a draft copy of a poster left to right and top to bottom, to make sure there are no grammatical errors nor spacing issues. Then, we can send it to print.

Aside from Faculty Commons work, she is one of the most supportive people in my life. I could tell her anything I am working on and she will encourage me to do my best, from my business trip to New Orleans (for my Hook&LoopNYC internship) to my mural painting project in Coney Island. Before coming into this internship, I didn’t care about my reputation on campus. After this internship, I decided everything I do must have a positive impact in the City Tech community or meaningful in some way.