I always as a very sub-par student in high school. I did my work and did it well enough to keep me afloat but I never enjoyed any of it. I didn’t have a favorite class on top of there being nothing school related that I was passionate about. Growing up I had always been tech savvy and it wasn’t until I started looking at Majors at The University of Tampa that I settled on New Media Production. New Media Production has allowed me to build a robust set of skills that I have no doubt will help me advance in my career path. I like being able to say I have the ability to dabble in a bit of everything; including graphic design, web design, media writing, video editing, etc.

I went into my freshman year a little blind. I had never taken any type of graphics class since it wasn’t offered at my high school, and I started to freak out a little bit since I essentially picked a major, I had no experience in. My younger siblings were always slightly more equipped in the art area than I was. I’ve never had the ability to pick up a pencil and produce a vivid sketch or drawing, my brain just doesn’t work like that. One of my very first classes at UT was Beginning Digital Arts (Art 210). In this class I got a basic rundown of most of the programs within the Adobe Suite and had the opportunity to work on projects focusing in on one program at a time, giving me the ability to really get comfortable with what I was working with. I absolutely loved that class and I did extremely well. That class essentially helped me validate that I had made the right decision with my major and got me excited for all my classes to come.

I ended up picking up a Minor in Communications somewhere along my journey. I’ve been good at writing for as long as I can remember and actually did enjoy it. Within this minor, I had the ability to combine my digital skills with my written skills for the first time ever. I was utilizing Adobe InDesign to make magazine layouts and spreads, taking raw photos on DLR’s to put in my projects, and actually writing the content itself. I think out of everything I’ve learned at UT, combining all of my skills like that is still my favorite type of project to work on. I’ve had the opportunity to use these skills in several work environments through my collegiate career and I couldn’t be more thankful that I’ve already had real-life experience.

After graduation I’m starting a full time job as an Undergraduate Admissions Counselor for The University of Tampa. Through this opportunity, I have the ability to get my MS in Instructional Design and Technology. I love Tampa for right now but I’m not sure if it’s my forever home. Hopefully I’ll end up somewhere like Denver or Austin pursuing my career as an Instructional Designer.