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First grad school freak out and it's only been two weeks!

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GRAD SCHOOL – ONLINE VS. TRADITIONAL PROGRAMS

Hello, friends! I finally have something interesting to blog about. Last week I started grad school. I can already tell the journey will be difficult, but full of learning experiences. I chose to pursue a Master's degree in Technology Entrepreneurship, an online program offered by the University of Maryland, College Park. If this sounds like a weird choice, it’s because it is. My initial plan was to pursue a design related program.

My first option was the Master’s in Publications Design at the University of Baltimore. I applied, was accepted, but wasn’t quite sure it was the right move for me.

Here are the reasons why I didn’t go for the Publications Design program:

The process of picking electives and having to complete mandatory core classes was like a throwback to undergrad. I didn’t like the idea of wasting my time in classes I didn’t care about.

The program seemed long, and that it had the potential to become longer based on the availability of the courses. (Some classes were offered only during the fall, others only during the spring, etc.)

 If I had picked this program, I would’ve had to commute all the way to Baltimore twice a week, not to mention, arrive early to work on those days in order to leave early.

Overall, I had this strong feeling this wasn’t the right choice for me.

Here are the reasons why I chose the Master of Technology Entrepreneurship:

My long-term goal is to start my own studio. I think this program could offer some valuable insight.

Deciding to deviate from design is scary, but the idea of diving into something entirely new is exciting.

Because the program is offered online, there is no need for commuting.

The curriculum is set up in a very no-nonsense, practical, way. If everything goes well, I should be graduating by the end of 2017. 

Finally, talking about innovation, startups, and design thinking is exciting to me! I am weirdly enthusiastic about entrepreneurship.

There are many positive aspects to this program, but there are also things that terrify me. For instance, I’ve never done well with online learning, and this program is all online!  However, I see this as an opportunity to hone my time management skills. I am also nervous about my arts & humanities background – a.k.a. My lack of business knowledge.

In conclusion, I am very aware there will be challenges along the way. I do believe, however, that if you are going to invest your time and energy into something, it should be something that you are passionate about. While I do love design, I am more interested in pushing my boundaries, learning new things, and getting out of my comfort zone. Anyway, I am hoping that documenting my journey will offer some insight about online learning and this particular program.

Bye for now!

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About the Time I Left my Heart in the Mountains

Today, August 25, the National Park Service turns 100. Coincidentally, my first visit to a national park happened only last week, when Justin and I went on a trip to celebrate our 7th year anniversary. When booking our vacation, Tennessee was not our first pick. We actually ended up going there due to our lack of planning skills. We barely knew anything about the place or what was there to do for 5 days. If you know me well, my cluelessness will not surprise you. If you don’t know me, please don’t judge me.

Well, a soon as we arrived it was clear that we would be doing what people do when they visit Gatlinburg, Tennessee: explore The Great Smoky Mountains (and attempt to spot black bears).

So that’s what we did, and now that we are back, I am struggling to get over the fact that I am no longer there. I left a piece of my heart in the mountains. I don’t know how to cope, except by writing on my neglected blog, the place where I talk about all that’s important to me.

This is what we did at the Great Smoky Mountains:

We hiked and swam. We saw bears, giant butterflies, and waterfalls. We followed the river and found swimming holes. I jumped from little cliffs and giant rounded rocks. I meditated to the sound of water falling while the sun kissed my skin and the forest air filled my lungs. We got caught in the rain, and the sight of fog hovering over trees took our breaths away. There was beauty everywhere I looked. I thought of the attempts of men to be grander than nature, and I thought, “You can’t.” I thought of shopping malls, money, phones, and TV screens. I thought about how we let media and technology steer us through life like flimsy little paper boats. I planted my feet on the earth and begged nature to take it all away, to fill the void with the river and the forest instead.

Now that I am back at staring at screens, I can’t help but feel nostalgic. If you have the chance to visit the Smokies or any other National Park, DO IT! It was truly some sort of spiritual experience.

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Life After Graduation

Life after graduation can be challenging. If you don’t already have a job, it’s likely that job-hunting is taking over your life. If you have a job, you might be having trouble thriving outside the highly-structured college setting. The experience is different for everyone, as I found out when I participated in last week’s UMBC Young Alumni Panel.

There were five of us, young alumni, and about twenty current students. They all came to hear what is like to transition from college to “the real world.” The panel was successful thanks to the unique contributions each panelist had to offer. Many of the advice that was given was consistent with the advice I’ve been receiving since I was just like one of those students attending the panel. As I heard my fellow young alumni emphasize job hunting tips such as, “always write a thank you letter”, and “make sure you proofread emails,” it occurred to me that there are certain things that no one tells you. One of the panelists, for example, talked about how during college he felt like he had thrived socially. He expressed how difficult it was to him to leave his tight knit of friends. He felt lonely and encouraged students to be prepared for this particular emotional challenge. It was interesting that the opposite was true for me. I never had time to socialize at school because I was a commuter and because of work. I actually feel like it’s easier for me to make room for a social life now that I have more time and a stable income. This mix of traditional career guidance and the unique perspectives each panelist offered allowed me to come up with my own advice to students: “Don’t compare yourself to others, as your path after graduation will never look like anyone else’s.” It seems obvious, but social media and traditional expectations can often make you feel like you are doing things wrong. I told students to be confident in their journey, as it’s likely it will be different from what they think it should look like. For instance, looking for a job in a creative field can be radically different from looking for a job in, say, accounting. You might not want to follow a traditional path at all and entrepreneurship might be your calling. The variables are endless. Wherever you are in your path after graduation, don’t compare yourself to others. Also important: don’t judge someone else’s decisions or compare them to someone else. Instead, find ways to encourage yourself and encourage others. Connecting with your alma mater is great way to do this. High schools, community colleges, and four-year schools, they all have opportunities for alumni to get involved. You can use these opportunities according to your own goals: you can socialize, network, look for career opportunities and mentors, give back to the community, etc. There is one thing all of us agreed during the panel: Despite the stress of having grown-up responsibilities, being an adult is not half bad. Financial stability is awesome. Anything you envision becomes more viable, you just have to work hard to get there.

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The time I applied for the AIGA DC Design Continuum Fund Scholarship

About two months ago I started my new job at the Universities at Shady Grove. Every day at work, I have these flashbacks of the decisive moments I went through to become a professional designer. These moments are always followed by an intense feeling of gratitude.

One of these decisive moments was the first time I applied for the AIGA DC Design Continuum Scholarship. The deadline to apply this year is April 22. If you are a student in the field of art or design in the area*, you should really check it out!

I remember that deciding to apply was, at first, daunting. I remember looking through the essays and portfolios of past winners and thinking my work wasn’t as good and that I wasn’t as contributing to society as they were.

Once I applied and won, many things happened that were decisively important in how I approached my career after that:

1.    I received the scholarship money, which was incredibly beneficial. I realized that there is a lot of help out there for students, both in terms of scholarships and career enhancing opportunities. It is only a matter of doing some research and going ahead and applying, even if you think you are not going to get it.

2.    I got more involved with AIGA DC and I met many amazing people who influenced me greatly. I met designers whom I still look up to, mentors, and examples of what I wanted to be like when I became a professional designer, namely @dianholton, @peroopunk, @heylizrose, @mirazarm, @liz_ott, @AshleighAxios, and others. Talk about girl power!

  3.    When I won, I developed this feeling of social responsibility, which led me to get more into the idea of designing for social good. Consequently, I volunteered more and started projects of my own.  

4.    Because I became more involved with the design community and started thinking of design as a tool for social change, I decided to apply for the Continuum scholarship again. This time, I felt more confident and deserving than the first time, which worked because I won again.

I can go on about the benefits that winning the Continuum Fund Schoarship brought to me, but that’s boring. Imagine what it could for you if you become part of it.  If you are student, it can benefit you beyond the financial aspect. If you are not a student, you can donate and be part of the circle. I don’t think that the people who gave money to the fund could imagine that their contribution could have such a great impact. But it does. It did for me. So I would like to finish this post by thanking all the people who contribute to the Continuum Fund, donors and the people on the board and behind the scenes. You too could be part of something big. Visit Continuum Fund website to learn how to apply or donate.

Fun story: This photo was taken at a Continuum Fund event in 2012 by photographer Patrick Ryan. I was the recipient that year and I was asked to give a speech. I was so nervous! Pat talked to me and helped me relax a little. He was awesome.

After that night, I friended him on Facebook. Four years later, we got together again and did a photoshoot. I got some cool pics to use in the transition from student/intern into my professional life:

It’s all about that profile pic :)

*If you don’t live in the DMV area, you can still apply to other design scholarships through AIGA/Worldstudio.

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Seven Internships Later, I’m Finally Where I Wanted To Be

This week I want to talk about internships. If you are in school or have recently graduated, this might be helpful for you.

Although we all have an idea of what being an intern looks like, I can confidently tell you that internships come in all shapes and sizes. Their benefits are well known: they provide real-world experience and help grow your resume. Despite these advantages, many times students are hesitant to pursue them, and I completely understand why.

In my case, when I started college, I didn’t only attend school full-time, I also worked full-time. So, I understand: If you have financial obligations like I did or even greater responsibilities, then the benefits of an internship might not outweigh the trouble of completing one given your challenging circumstances. However, I am here to tell you that internships are worth the trouble, even when it doesn’t seem like it. I want to share with you a little bit about the seven internships I went through, so you can see that no internship is the same and that they all bring benefits no matter what.

My fist attempt to find an internship was during my time at Montgomery College. While in there, I had built a mentoring relationship with my first ESL professor, Mike Berman. I expressed to him my concern about not having any design experience. He happened to have an Educational Publishing Company of his own, Language Arts Press, and graciously offered to get me involved in some design projects.

My second internship happened when I flew back to Bolivia during a summer break. At that time, my mom, who lived in Bolivia, worked closely with several non-profits. I volunteered my skills to a particular project she was involved with. As a result, I was hired to do some design work for that project.

The two internships that followed happened while attending UMBC. Through school, I found a program that paid me to complete an internship as long as it was in a nonprofit or startup. I decided to do both.

Half of the time required by the program I completed at Arts Every Day, a nonprofit in Baltimore. I went a few times a week and helped out with design work.

The other half of the time I completed at Made By We. I met the founder, Liz Rose, through a mentorship program sponsored by AIGA DC. Back then, Liz Rose had just started Made By We. She didn’t even have an office yet, and we worked from coffee shops. I didn’t care. I was thrilled to work with and learn from such a talented and driven designer.

Then I graduated, and Disney happened. The Disney College Program deserves a post of its own, but basically, I moved to Florida and interned at Walt Disney World. It wasn’t design related. My job was to sell park tickets.

I liked Disney so much that I decided to extend my internship. This time, my role was different. I worked as a photographer at Magic Kingdom.

After the best six months of my life, I came back home, and it seemed like the next step was to get a “real” job. But it proved to be too hard, and I started looking for an internship. Again.

I was glad I did because I found a design intern position at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. This internship was full-time and lasted three months. Working with the Museum’s design exhibits team was truly an invaluable experience.

That is the story of how it took me seven internships to get to the point where I was able to get a job as  the Marketing Coordinator at  the Universities at Shady Grove. Some of these internships were paid and others unpaid. Though their completion, there were times that I had, not one, but multiple jobs. Not all of the internships fulfilled my expectations, but each was, with no doubt, an invaluable experience. I heard somewhere that you should treat your career as a game of chess, not checkers, and think about not only the next move, but ten moves ahead. Internships are exactly that. They are efforts to make the way to your dream job a little easier.

*Thank you for reading! I linked helpful information throughout the post, but if you’d like to know more of about other good resources to find internships, let me know. 

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Oh How I Wish I Had Kept Up With Blogging

As I look at the four lonely posts that populate my blog, I mesmerize at everything that happened to me since then. My first post dates back to 65 days before graduation, around November of 2014. It talks about my desire to document my transition from school into the “real world.” The second post is more of an internal dialog while I waited to see if I had been accepted into the Disney College Program. This post is followed by a screenshot of my acceptance letter. The last entry talks about the anticipation leading up to my program’s start date, a book I read at the time, and my desire to pursue a minimalist lifestyle as I underwent a discarding spree.

“It’s really funny how life turns out” is the cheesy phrase that comes up in my mind looking at these snapshots of the past, which seems so distant, but date back to only a little over a year ago. This is why I wish I had kept up with blogging.

In a nutshell, the relevant things that happened to me since then are:

 I completed my program at Disney World and extended it. An experience I can only describe as the most amazing thing that ever happened to me so far.

 I got into meditation and mindfulness more deeply.

I completed a graphic design internship at the Smithsonian National Air and Space museum.

I lost sight of my determination to live a minimalist lifestyle and found my way back to it.

And, I finally got the design job I’ve been looking for, what seems like, my whole life. 

All these events are so blog worthy, especially because of their potential to provide insight to people going through the same situations or that find themselves in a relatable state of mind. I have decided to blog weekly and I plan to write more about these events/milestones in weeks that aren’t that eventful.

Thanks for reading, and happy birthday to me. I am officially turning 26 on the 26th.

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Hello! As you probably already know, I was accepted into the Disney College Program Spring 2015. In my previous post, I shared with you guys that although I felt conflicted about the possibility of doing the program, I was very much inclined to take the offer if I had the opportunity. Well, I took it and now there are only 76 days left until the program starts.

The reason that I am writing though is to present you with a book that has already, even though I got it only a few days ago, it has already started to change my life.

I am not even finished, but it has inspired me so much already. The book is by no means perfect. I also do not endorse blindly idolizing people. Who knows what would you take away from it if you read it? However, this is what spoke to me the most: “Always strive for quality and be bold” I know this two things stuck with me because of two decisions I made this past couple of days. The first one is design related and I don't want to bore you to death, but the second one is:

“I have decided to get rid of most of my stuff and pursue a minimalist lifestyle.”

I know. Is it even possible? I have so much stuff: books, clothes, shoes, art supplies and a whole bunch of crap that I feel emotionally attached to. But just like Walt, I have decided to be bold. I have already started filling a bag a bunch of clothes. It is such a good feeling! I do want to take it easy and make sure that the process always makes me feel good instead of stressed out. I am thinking that I will also be getting rid of all of the tea and tea tins I got while I worked at Teavana. In reality, I only finished two out of the 20 types of teas I got. So, I don’t know how far I will get, but, hopefully, far enough that I can teach myself to feel detached of material things and fight the need of buying things.

Wish me luck!

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It happened! :D #disneycollegeprogram #dcp

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The Disney College Program And My Unreasonable Brain

I was hesitant to share this with too many people, but this waiting game is killing me, so I decided that writing about it might make it a little better. So, last Friday I had my interview to participate in the Disney College Program, which is a paid internship that gives you the opportunity to work in any of the Walt Disney Resorts.  I was somewhat conflicted about applying because of the following reasons:

There is a $350 non-refundable fee. 

There is a cost for housing, which is about $100/week and is deducted from the participant’s paycheck.

The program happens in the Spring, which would be a critical time for me to find a job in my field.

The jobs that I would be performing are very much like the kind of jobs I’ve been doing for the past 5 years: retail and service related.

They pay you minimum wage and give you a lot of hours and not the best shifts.

Well, hard work is not a problem for me, but going back to doing the jobs I though I was done with does not sound exciting. Working in Disney, however, does sound exciting, even more so when I think of the possibility of doing design work for them as a result. That is my real motivation behind joining the program and what has kept me checking my email every 5 minutes. I know I should really consider the pros and cons, but it seems that my brain has already made a decision since all I can think about is Disney. To me it just seems like a great risk, but really a one-time opportunity, which can lead to a chance to work as a designer for one of the greatest companies in the world. Can you imagine doing motion graphics for the people who made the Lion King? I do. I say, screw the cons and let’s move to Florida with unreasonable dreams of grandeur.  But of course, I am getting ahead of myself because I don’t know if I have been accepted yet. I guess that either way, it will be for the best. Everything happens for a reason. 

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Hello World!

My name is Laura and I am a graphic design major on my last semester of school. On this blog, I will be documenting my journey as a recent grad and my transition into the “real world”. You know, that unknown and terrifying place where homework and spring breaks are replaced by unemployment and uncertainty. Even though I graduate on December, I feel today is the perfect time to begin this story. It’s been five years of sucky, backbreaking jobs and the constant juggle between those and school. Today, I have finally put in my two-week notice at my retail job at the mall, which feels like a milestone. Don't get me wrong, even though retail and serving jobs have not been ideal for me, I know those are the places where I’ve learned the most. I am certainly grateful for that. Graduation is 65 days away, but the journey begins now. There is so much to do, such as putting my portfolio together, start looking for a job, and actually passing my classes so I can graduate.