World's Greatest Internship

You should select me because

I'm the best candidate for WGI because I am really open-minded and eager to learn. The perspective I have is grateful and driven. Whether I get chosen or not I am grateful to be in a position that I would be considered for this internship. That means being able to read and write, having access to a computer, or even having the freedom in my life to take on an opportunity like this if I was chosen, because not everyone has those things. But I do think that there isn't a candidate who would learn more than I would during my internship. I have always been really driven with my work but conscious at the same time. If you're truly driven you have to be open-minded that there are people who can teach you and who know way more than you do. I feel like I have so much to learn in the creative field and am ready to soak up as much information as possible. I do my best not to be ethnocentric. I believe there is so much to learn from other people/communities and would be beyond grateful for the opportunity to do so.

1. Why are you interested in wgi?

Because I'm really eager to learn. Portfolio school is amazing but I am learning from a limited amount of people who are apart of very similar cultures. I want to see how people are practicing in a variety of cultures. I want to learn how to be a more well rounded professional in the communication field. The opportunity to get practical design experience at multiple different companies would be extremely valuable. More importantly, I think that traveling and seeing how different companies are influencing the culture around them would be eye-opening for me. Especially as someone who is going into the communication industry with goals to make our society more progressive.

2. What are you looking to gain from an experience such as WGI?

Perspective. I'm looking to learn different approaches and different practices in terms of design and communication. I want to see my habits compared to some of the top creatives in the industry - am I being close-minded in certain aspects of my practice? Could I be more influential with different techniques etc. I'm looking to gain knowledge and see how I could apply it to my career and my life.

3. What would be your goals after completing WGI if you were selected?

Well, I think that after completing the WGI my perspective will, and probably should change. But - speaking in the present, I would say that my goals would be to use my newly gained knowledge to influence my work as a creative. I would try to apply various mindsets, and approaches to my practice that would have the largest impact on my work. I would also try and share the knowledge and experience with people who didn't have the opportunity to travel and work with some of the top companies around the world.

4. How did you hear about wgi?

I heard about it from my school, The Creative Circus, in Atlanta, Georgia.

5. Share an example of a time you were most motivated and a time you were most demotivated.

I think the most motivated time period in my life was my senior year in college. I played soccer in school and during the fall season I was also studying for the GRE. I was working part time while taking classes and completing an independent study. I had gotten a serious leg injury before the fall season so I was doing extra physical therapy during the semester. By the end of the semester I ended up getting my leg healthy enough to play the last two games of my college career. The GRE happened to also be the following week and my independent study was wrapping up as well. That last week was incredible. I only played fifteen minutes in the second to last game and didn't get subbed on in the last game. But I knew I had worked so hard to play those 15 minutes in physical therapy, and throughout my whole soccer career. I remember after the last game, I started to look forward to taking the GRE. My mindset was like - what's up next!? What's the next challenge. Usually I would've been pretty frusterated that I didn't get the chance to play. The time I was the least motivated was the fall of 2014, when I found out one of my best friends committed suicide. Nobody would've expected it and there were no signs. It was and is devastating.

6. In your opinion, what creates a great culture at a company?

Change. I think a great culture is very open to change. You have to be abe to adapt to the latest research, ideas, cultures, movements, etc. Being open to change also implies a lot of other things too - being open-minded, the willingness to grow, listening to others, and overall having the goal of progress for the entire company.

7. What brands and companies do you admire and why?

Adidas - I think Adidas is doing a ton of really innovative work right now on gender equality and environmental issues. I admire that because I think those are really important issues and a lot of brands and companies can easily stay out of those issues but It's really important that people take action. Coral Vita is another organization that I admire - they are doing amazing things to try and save the coral reefs from extinction. I also really admire DrawChange - a non-profit that provides art therapy for impoverished children in Atlanta. I think it's really important that everyone has the resources to express themselves. Some of us express ourselves better through art, design, or other creative work and often those practices aren't always accessible to everyone.

8. What do you do to stay sharp and improve your craft?

I read and meditate. Reading helps me to not get tunel vision about my work. Which actually helps me create better work! I love to read non-fiction, to learn about history, and sociology. Right now I'm reading Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari it's an absolute must read. I also read the news and love to see what is going on in the industry on blogs like, It's nice that, AIGA - eye on design, Dieline, etc. Meditating also keeps me present and very sharp mentally. But ultimately practice and experience improves my craft the most!

9. What’s your favorite quote?

"Be the change you wish to see in this world".

10. If you could solve one problem in the world what would it be?

Alex Kirsch

I heard about it from my school, The Creative Circus, in Atlanta, Georgia.

"Be the change you wish to see in this world".