At Keuka College, hands-on learning experiences are deeply ingrained in the academic culture, fostering a dynamic environment where theory meets practice. Through a robust array of experiential learning opportunities, students engage in immersive activities that transcend traditional classroom boundaries. Whether through internships, fieldwork, research projects, or community engagement initiatives, Keuka College empowers students to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios, honing their skills and fostering a deep understanding of their chosen field. With faculty support and innovative programs tailored to individual interests, students at Keuka College are equipped with the practical skills and confidence needed to succeed in their future careers.
I was lucky enough to obtain hands on learning experiences throughout my senior year of undergrad 2023-2024 Here are the projects that I got to be apart of.
COM 450.01S24, Senior Capstone: Professional Practice
"The Senior Capstone course provides a culminating, interdisciplinary experience to prepare students for success post-graduation. Through documentation, reflection, and presentation, students showcase their work for audience/client interactions. The course emphasizes preparation of professional materials, intensive mentoring, and participation in an interdisciplinary collaborative project with a professional focus. This often involves working with a client sponsor on a project addressing commercial, cultural, or social concerns. Students develop creative solutions within real-world constraints, with frequent guest talks to enrich the learning experience. The course places a strong emphasis on teamwork and client interaction."
Personal Project - Design Journey: From Concept To Creation
For my senior Capstone project I decided to create a poster depicting my creative design process. I got the inspiration to do so when I had some fellow designers within my network critique this website and a common comment I had gotten within my feedback was to showcase how I create my work. I then utilized AI software in order to give me a project brief which I used in order to develop a brand identity for a small, local electronics store which I named "CircuitCloud". I had 2 weeks to develop the name, tagline, color scheme and logo. I followed this by using the materials I developed and integrating them into real-world scenarios such as an outdoor led sign for the potential shop. I also developed a set of business cards alongside a billboard announcing the grand opening for the client. I took notes for every step I followed throughout this project and developed a poster (left) which was showcased at the 2024 Keuka College KC expo.
To see more about this project and my creative process please go to the "my Process" tab on this page.
Group Project - I talk to strangers Foundation, Peace Walk Campaign
For my group Project I Interned remotely for the I Talk To Strangers Foundation based out Of Atlanta, Georgia. filling the role as the digital media coordinator intern, The purpose of this internship was to assist the foundation with their peace walk campaign that is taking place on Sunday, June 16th in Cocoa, Florida. I worked on this project with two other classmates that were majoring in political science. together we utilized all of each others strengths and weaknesses in order to successfully research and conduct an Pmesii-pt assessment. Taking the results of our research we then in coordination with members of the board to foundation developed and designed a 30, 60 day plan which was then sent out to volunteers of the foundation in order to get the campaign started. My group ended our internship by taking place in an email outreach campaign to local businesses and influential members of the Cocoa community in order to obtain any potential donations and/or develop a partnership.
To the left is the presentation that we shared with our fellow course mates, professor and other members of the Keuka College community.
COM 330.01S24, Advanced Design
"Students develop proficiency in graphic and visual communication design through advanced study of design theory, systems, and methods. Investigating how design influences public awareness and community engagement, this project-based course challenges students to create designs (both individually and in groups) that promote social good. Students acquire industry preparation and begin to establish effective design portfolios."
SWIO on the Keuka Outlet Interpretive Signage
My fellow classmates and I had the opportunity to assist the The Seneca Watershed Intermunicipal Organization (SWIO) with creating four distinct interpretative signs at prominent locations throughout the Crooked lake Canal (CLC) this project took around 4 weeks to complete and this includes visiting the site location, conducting research, q/a with the client and even making any necessary changes according to client feedback.
The figure to the left is the design/sign that I had majority lead on in collaboration with my team, as well as display and present at the 2024 Keuka College KC Expo.
In Space and Time
In this project I had the opportunity to pick a relationship within my personal life to show through using Visual Communication Design elements by forming a digital media collage. I accomplished this design by utilizing the effect/transparency tools within Adobe InDesign. By doing so, I was able to manipulate five separate copyright free stock images that pertained to my chosen relationship into this very abstract piece.
This project was heavily influenced by the work and mind of David Carson and I had the opportunity to showcase this piece at the 2024 Keuka College KC Expo.
Beyond Layers and Filters
for my final project in Advanced Design, I was tasked with taking a segment of the Keuka Lake watershed and creating a unique topographic map. together my classmates and I at the end organized all our sector together to portray the watershed of the surrounding are through the thoughtful and intentional use of color, type, images, shapes and forms designers create compositions that inform, educate, persuade and entertain.
had the opportunity to showcase this piece at the 2024 Keuka College KC Expo. As well as this piece is mounted 23x23 and on display in the Amity Coffee Shop in Penn Yan New York and can even be bought for $75.
COM 320.01S24, Business/Professional Writing
"The study and practice of professional writing, including but not limited to business and technical communication, proposals, formal reports, and grant writing. Emphasis placed on context-specific writing strategies, basic visual design, and negotiating the rhetorical expectations of professional genres."
Make It Brief
The goal of this project was to learn how to formulate the best professional email possible within a timely manner. For this project I had to send an email requesting for something, in this scenario I was asking a previous mentor of mine if he would mind being my mentor yet again for another project. I did so in five simple, easy steps.
In this project, I learned that when creating an email to be myself, not have runoff sentences, be short and to the point, un-repetitive and to follow a layout.
to the left you can view the presentation that I gave to my classmates about the process I used to accomplish to this task as well as any mistakes and a reflection of what I had just learned.
The entire process of writing this email took twenty three minutes and twenty seven seconds.
The Proposal
For this project, Our class was split into two groups and our goal was to create a business proposal for The Health Foundation for Western & Central New York (Health Foundation) is requesting proposals from communications firms that specialize in racial and socioeconomic equity-driven projects to partner with us on a review of our communications assets. The organization that I was fulfilling the role for as graphic designer "Big Dawg inc." was tasked with
1. Name of firm
2. Primary contact information for your firm
3. 1-2 case studies or examples of previous projects that demonstrate your expertise in communications
strategies that are rooted in equity best practices.
4. A brief proposal of how you will accomplish the outlined objectives, including your team members,
resources and other assets that may be involved. Tell us about your team and what you’ll bring to the
table.
5. Estimated timeline for completion
6. Estimated fees broken down by stages or deliverables
IN this project I learned how to take what I have learned in the classroom and apply it into a real-world situation. I even got to experience the importance of teamwork and time management as we all had to depend on one another in order to achieve all of the outlined tasks within the timeline of the RFP deadline.
Grant writing x play forever
In this final project our entire class partnered with the non-profit Play Forever foundation that is based out of Toronto, Canada. this foundation in particular is focused on providing structured and accessible recreation, education and mental health services for the youth of their community. We were tasked with researching potential grants that align with play forever's goals and ambitions with the hopes that the organization will apply our research and pursue some of these grants. I assisted with the research of the avid design group, design and implementation of the presentation given to the founder of the organization and I even assisted with the concept design of a potential shirt that play forever could sell in stores in order to raise funds and bring more attention to their organization.
