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Summer in the City

August 27, 2024 By Shriya Atreya

Summer In The City

My Corporate Era

This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to intern at Siegel + Gale’s New York City office as an Experience Intern. It was an extraordinary experience to work in such a big city at one of the top branding agencies in the country. Additionally, the chance to explore my passion for user experience and user interface design in a real work setting was truly invaluable. This experience allowed me to find how much I did actually enjoy UX/UI and how badly I want to keep working hard so post-grad I can return to NYC with a job in this field.

The Internship consisted of two main responsibilities one being the intern project, a prompt given to all the interns to complete as a team, and second being the client work assigned by manager. While both challenged me in different ways these tasks allowed me to grow as a designer and see where I have room to improve as well.

Overall, the friends and connections I made throughout this experience were invaluable. Working alongside talented professionals and fellow interns not only expanded my network but also provided me with a wealth of knowledge and support. The collaborative environment and mentorship I received greatly enriched my understanding of the industry and helped me refine my skills. I am excited to leverage these connections and lessons learned as I continue to pursue my career in UX/UI design, with a clearer vision of my future goals and a passion to contribute to the field of experience design.

The 5-9 After The 9-5

Along with the incredible work experience I gained, I also had the opportunity to live in New York City for three months! Exploring the city’s food scene, hanging out with friends, and soaking in the energy NYC has during the summer made every moment outside of work truly unforgettable. When coming to NYC I had the goal of going to a different coffee shop every chance I got and rating them all so I have a collection of pictures and notes. I am happy to announce that I did complete that goal and have succeeded in making the best list of NYC coffee shops!

Being in New York City for the summer has always been a dream of mine, and I feel incredibly fortunate and grateful to have had the opportunity to experience it. The combination of an enriching internship, city life, and meeting friends made this summer truly the best one ever. This experience has not only reinforced my passion for UX/UI design but also made me more motivated to continue my hard-work this school year. I will cherish these memories forever and I look forward to carrying these experiences with me into the future.

My Summer!

August 26, 2024 By Kyra Lee

My Summer!

Entering the World of Web Development

This summer I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try to learn some code! I took a course called Introduction to Web Development under the Global Career Accelerator Program in which I learned the basics of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It was fast-paced and a little daunting at times, but I gained a good foundation for the work that goes into front-end web development as well as some professional development skills like teamwork, communication, time management, and giving/receiving feedback.

I’m hoping to retain the skills I gained by continuing to learn new web dev techniques and strengthening my grasp of the concepts from the course.

Trip to California

Now, for the (more) fun stuff 😉

I got to visit California! Among the places we traveled to were San Francisco, Monterey, Big Sur, and Yosemite National Park. Yosemite was absolutely gorgeous and getting to see the stars in the sky without any light pollution was a first time experience I’ll never forget.

Other Stuff

When I wasn’t hiking (supposedly) beginner-level trails and trudging through the trial and error process that is coding, I spent my time reading, drawing, watching The Bear/anime/the Olympics with my family, baking Olympic chocolate muffins with my best friend, and enjoying lazy days inside.

Now, it’s time to get back into the routine of school and my STA journey!

My Summer!!

August 26, 2024 By Marissa Devivar

My Summer!!

For most of the summer, I was in Houston for a design internship at Gravity Global. It was amazing being close to home to spend time with my family while diving into the corporate world. I especially enjoyed working in the office and engaging with full-time employees. A highlight of the internship was a pitch project towards the end of the summer, where we had the opportunity to apply all the skills we’d learned from our mentors. Our team ultimately won the pitch, which was incredibly rewarding!

Attending client meetings was another highlight. I loved observing my mentor’s skillful and enthusiastic approach to guiding clients through her design process. It was also fascinating to see interns from various fields and skill sets come together to create a successful marketing pitch, each contributing their unique expertise. Overall, the internship provided a fresh perspective on graphic design and marketing, and I’m excited for the next step in my career.

Outside of work, I took a trip to Colorado with my family, where we explored the Rocky Mountains, Colorado Springs, and more. We tried river rafting for the first time, which was very nerve-wracking but fun! Additionally, my sister and I attended a Noah Kahan concert, which she has been looking forward to for a long time. The acoustics, merch, and overall vibe were great, and at one point, Noah even stood just two rows in front of us for a few songs!

Goodbye STA Program – Adriana’s Last Day

July 31, 2024 By Adriana Hermoza

Goodbye STA Program – Adriana’s Last Day

Today is my last day as a Design STA, and while I am sad about leaving the team where I met a lot of incredible and talented people, I am excited to embark on my next journey!

I still remember when I started and was somewhat nervous about it all as I was still learning. Yet, the nervousness dissipated little by little as I completed the training modules and starting meeting the other STAs who were all more than welcoming. Everyone in the team was always ready to help and assist each other, making it a very comfortable environment to work in. I am grateful I got to meet so many wonderful people while working as a Design STA, and I am excited to see everyone’s journey.

A special thanks to De’sha who is an amazing mentor and did a phenomenal job leading us all. I was able to learn a lot of important lessons and gained valuable insights thanks to De’sha! I appreciate everyone in the team and hope the best for everyone in their career, their journey, and life!

Lorena is Leaving! [ NOT CLICKBAIT ]

May 31, 2024 By Lorena Chiles

Lorena is Leaving! [ NOT CLICKBAIT ]

Remember last year when I posted on my blog that I wasn’t sure if I was returning as an STA and then I crawled back onto the team that Fall? Well, this time I’m officially not returning… because I graduated! After 4 years of college I’ve claimed my Radio-Television-Film degree and Digital Arts and Media certificate from UT. I’m extraordinarily grateful to the STA program and I feel so much more prepared for whatever life will throw at me. Through my 2 1/2 years as an STA I’ve grown more adept at communication, confidence, leadership, time management, organization, and of course the many programs available from Adobe. Thank you so much to the whole current Design team, including De’sha, Leilani, Thang, Adriana, Lila, Carrie, Marissa, Diya, Raaga, Shriya, and Kyra, and also to my past STAs and managers!

Why is this post so delayed in my posting it, you ask? Well, I have some good news! As of late April 2024 I’ve been one of the Summer Film Camp Directors at Austin Film Festival. It’s been exciting so far to see things coming along, and our camps start in early June so we’re fast approaching our start date! I’ve been conducting registration audits, finding food donations/sponsors, communicating with parents, hiring instructors/interns, and everything that you can think of in between.

Now as my time as a Design STA comes to a close, I once again will share my LinkedIn page (www.linkedin.com/in/lorena-chiles) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lorenachiles/) for all the Lorena fans out there. Thank you guys for following my journey, bye for now!