On this week of Highlighting Hounds, we are featuring Gabriella Dreyfus, a graduated senior who majored in Graphic Design and minored in Studio Art. During the Spring 2023 semester, Gabriella completed an internship at the Worcester Center for Crafts, helping the center with many projects including organizing the gallery, developing marketing materials, and assisting in the event coordination of art shows and events. The Worcester Center for Crafts is a nonprofit, community-based arts organization that provides the community with quality craft education and helps artists gain visibility through art shows and their marketplace. Read the interview below to learn more about Gabriella’s internship.
Image: Gabriella at the Worcester Center for Crafts
Interviewer: How did you hear about the Worcester Center for Crafts?
Gabriella: I went to the Career Development and Internship Center looking for help with finding an internship in graphic design and we stumbled upon the Worcester Center for Crafts. I immediately began revising my resume and writing a cover letter. After an interview, I got the internship!
Interviewer: How would you describe your day-to-day tasks and responsibilities as an intern?
Gabriella: As an intern at a non-profit, I wore many hats. I collaborated closely with my supervisor and other team members to ensure that the center was running smoothly, and that means that I managed many different tasks. My major tasks included editing photos of artwork in Photoshop to be posted on our website, writing a weekly newsletter to be sent to email subscribers, and creating signage for upcoming events. I really enjoyed practicing my graphic design skills and having creative liberty over the center’s marketing materials.
I also helped display items and art in the gallery, as well as the Center’s gift shop. I am a very organized person, so I enjoyed rearranging items in a way that would catch a customer’s attention. It was rewarding to see customers buy the art and items in the gift shop. I also helped coordinate and orchestrate art shows and conferences.
Interviewer: Is there a task or project of which you are most proud?
Gabriella: Besides seeing customers buy the items that I displayed, I am very proud of the research project that I conducted on how to increase the center’s engagement with young adult populations. Middle-aged and older adults make up the majority of their audience, but the center wants to encourage more younger people to visit the center, take classes, attend art shows, and buy art. Therefore, I researched what types of art would be the most engaging for young adults. I hope that my research helps the center achieve greater engagement.
Interviewer: What skills did you gain from your internship? What did you learn?
Gabriella: Overall, I was able to gain more experience working with Adobe Photoshop since I have only been able to practice Illustrator during my time at Assumption. I feel much more comfortable using it, and I hope to continue using it throughout my career.
I enjoyed this internship opportunity because it gave me a glimpse into my future career in graphic design. I had to learn how to manage multiple projects at once and accept feedback on my designs, even though I did not necessarily agree with them. As a graphic designer, it is important to not take clients’ feedback personally, but rather understand that you are creating a product that reflects their vision. A graphic designer needs to be flexible and open to different creative ideas.
Lastly, I learned that I like working in the nonprofit sector. I liked collaborating closely with a small team and being able to use my talents in other projects, besides graphic design. I hope to work in a nonprofit organization in the future, hopefully in an organization that combines my interest in graphic design and art.
Interviewer: What do you plan to do after you graduate?
Gabriella: I am still trying to figure that out, but I hope to find a job where I can be creative and utilize my graphic design skills. I am open to working in a nonprofit organization, but my dream career would be to own a business in fashion as I love to create and design fashion. Also, I mentioned that I am a very organized person, so I can see myself in a visual editor position in which I organize and develop the layout for magazines, newspapers, and other printed materials.
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