Name: Olivia Bollack
Internship, Co-op or Research Site: First Floor Graphics
Position Title: Design Intern
Major(s)/Minor(s): Graphic Design
Expected Graduation Year: 2015
Briefly describe your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.
Most of my tasks were getting design pieces ready for installation, such as cropping images in Photoshop or adding a border in Illustrator. I sometimes helped my coworker manually get things ready, like vinyl pieces that needed to be set up properly. I also would help will actually installing pieces, whether this was hanging up signs or placing vinyl.
Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.
The process I went through was simply sending a group email blast email asking about internship opportunities through a design group called B'more Creatives. I was lucky enough to get several responses to my email. My boss happened to email me and we had a phone interview, and then a real interview. I had my resume looked over not only by Kacie at the Career Center, but one of my design professors as well.
What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?
It's been a really great experience actually learning the process of client and designer relationships. It's not something that could really be taught in a classroom setting, so being able to observe and actually get a little bit of hands on training with my coworkers was invaluable. It's also been crazy getting to see the work you have put so much time into actually hanging on a wall that's not at school.
How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?
Since the company I'm working for mostly makes large signs and does wayfinding (such a restroom signs, directions, donor walls), it's really been interesting to see how clients react to your designs. I like knowing that my work has been helping people, like not too long ago we got an elementary school ready for Braille signs to help them comply with the ADA regulations. We actually have been giving back to the community.
What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?
Just go for it—the absolute worst answer you could receive would be a no. Always take a chance when you see an email or advertisement. You never know who might be willing to take you on and give you a shot. And even if your internship doesn't turn into a full-time job, it's still amazing experience for you to put down on your next resume.
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