Interning at the CCIU
When beginning my graphic design internship at the Chester County Intermediate Unit I wasn’t sure what was in store for me. Of course, designing, and collaborating with my peers, but after being there for 10 months now I’ve have learned things that will last a lifetime!
This experience has taught me a multitude of skills, whether it’s sticking to a brief and strict timeline when creating billboards and advertisements for the company. Or even working as a team with those around me and building relationships, it has been the best experience. After designing and putting my creative mind to the ultimate test, I’ve realized that I love bringing people’s visions to life. A particular speciality within the graphic design field that I am now determined to pursue is the structure of requirements and needs when it comes to designing. When working with clients and coworkers everyone has a vision that they hope the graphic designer can bring to life, and as the graphic designer that’s a speciality that not everyone has the ability to do. Therefore, I will continue to carry that with me throughout my career and perfect it along the way.
One person in particular who has inspired me during my stay at the Chester County Intermediate Unit is my boss, Jennifer Chicosky. As a Temple grad herself, she has made a name for herself in the business and has the most creative and genius mind when it comes to the CCIU. She is always extremely cool, calm, and collected which always helps ease my nerves when it comes to creating something for her. She encourages me and shows me little tips and tricks along the way that have helped me significantly. She has inspired me to be a strong business woman in the force, all while keeping your cool. Two other people I would like to mention is the special events team, Jay Stone and Kathy Gurnee. They demonstrate what a strong and healthy team looks like when working together. Along with that, they have given me creative freedom when creating graphics for the events they coordinate. Because of that I have gained confidence in my work, and will always appreciate them for that.
Overall, this experience was everything I thought it would be. I’ve experienced amazing team work, leaders, and creative tips during my internship at the CCIU. Some advice I’d give others while looking for an internship is be confident yet open-minded. Allow yourself to be open to all opportunities that may be thrown your way and run with them. Internships help build you and your expertise to harness after graduation and all of those skills will be taken with you for a lifetime.
