Year in Review
I'm excited to share my journey through the UC Honors Program with you.
Freshman Year
2020-2021
My freshman year at UC was filled with hills and valleys. I grew personally in independence and connected to community, despite the restrictions and chaos caused by Covid and state ordinances. I came to UC excited for college and a new start, ready for independence in the next phase of life. I loved exploring downtown Cincinnati and was excited to take this next step in independence and academic learning at DAAP.
However, 2020 was not a typical college year. My classes in DAAP were entirely virtual, and although I’m used to doing work independently and problem-solving on my own, the isolation from community took a toll on my mental, emotional, and physical well-being. A few weeks into fall semester, I found myself spending 10-12 hours each day working virtually in my dorm room, using my bed as a workbench to build projects for my industrial design courses. The opportunities to leave and socialize were few, as most campus groups and all my classes were virtual. Some days were an endless stream of virtual school and assignments, punctuated only by lunch in the cafeteria, a conversation with the friendly man running the grill, and a walk around campus.
Thankfully, I connected with H2O Church at the beginning of the semester. They chalked up the sidewalk with messages about their outdoor services, and I was welcomed with open arms (and treated to Mexican food) the first day I attended. Through H2O, God slowly and steadily changed my mindset and my life. My priorities shifted from attempting to push myself forward up the ladder of life, to knowing that, whatever my work, I can find joy in my situation by becoming a part of the community which I’m placed in to serve. This year contained crazy lows and extreme isolation which sometimes felt like solitary confinement. However, during the times where I was most broken down and empty, the Lord taught me that I can only find true joy and peace in Him. All my life I have been striving to find my purpose, seeking to find what will ultimately fulfill me. Finding community through my church and seeing the love and joy which this family of college students seeking Jesus truly embodies allowed me to connect to my own faith and realign my priorities. Although I still strive to do the best work that I can whether it be in my classes for DAAP, volunteer time at a pet shelter for Interfaith Hospitality Network, or work for a local coffee shop in my hometown, my motivation for doing so has shifted. Instead of working hard and trying to do well in classes simply because I can, or because of pressure and expectations from family, I know that no matter how my life goes, my purpose on earth is to serve and love those around me.
I know that the next year will also hold its fair share of challenges and changes. While Covid is coming to an end, the next year will hold more political unrest, academic challenges, and room for growth. My one source for resilience through these hills and valleys is my faith. I’ve learned through this year of isolation (and the difficulties it brought in connecting to community), just how important people really are. I value my daily interactions with customers and fellow baristas at the coffee shop I work at. I find joy in even the repetitive tasks and long hours at work. For this next year of growth and learning, I plan on increasing my intentionality in seeking out community and loving the people placed in my life.
Second Year
2021-2022
My second year studying industrial design at the University of Cincinnati was full of growth. I got to have my hands on all sort of design projects, learned traditional carpentry, sewed my own foraging bag, joined a pottery club, and started leading a community group with fellow baristas from my previous job at a coffee shop. I connected with classmates during my in-person fall semester, made new friends, and enjoyed game nights with fellow DAAP-ers.
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One pivotal part of my college journey was landing my first co-op at a theming and entertainment design company east of Cincinnati, Kingdom Productions. Landing a co-op after only three semesters of school really encouraged me that this major is the place for me. I loved designing themed zoo buildings, three-dimensional signs, and playground equipment for theme parks such as Cedar Point.
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At first, I was nervous about starting my first job in the design field. My coworkers were all much older than me, as I was the only intern. I wondered whether I really had the skills to make a difference at my job, and whether I was ready for such a big transition from my previous customer service positions. However, I soon found that I had “got the jackpot” co-op wise.
I was so happy to work for a Christian company, designing playful buildings and signs for zoos. I learned three new software programs and built relationships with my coworkers in the office and the shop. I enjoyed the theming and experience design field so much that I’m applying for other experience design co-ops this summer. I’m hopeful to continue growing professionally in this creative field.
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I'm back in school for the summer, after a year of growth in friendship, confidence, design skills, and community. My passion for design has grown during this past year, and I've gotten to create countless hands-on and CAD designs. My goal for this upcoming year is to continue to grow my soft skills and sketching skills, and to apply for and land two more co-ops in theming design or product design. I’m excited to see where the journey takes me!
Third Year
2022-2023
During my third year of college, I experienced two new co-ops, working and living in three different states. I learned to navigate changing relationships during this nomadic stage of life, while building new friendships with coworkers and church groups that I joined with each job and location change.
In the fall, I moved to Orlando, Florida with only three weeks’ notice for a co-op designing world-class ski and wake boats at Nautique Boat Company. Although I had initially pictured myself working at a Cincinnati company again, I found myself living alone for the first time in a city where I had no contacts. Thankfully, the door opened to house-sit for a family friend who had purchased and moved their belongings into a house in Orlando only the week before. Although our family friends were waiting on moving into the house full-time until their youngest child finished high school in Cincinnati, I had the blessing of staying in and watching over their beautiful home near a neighborhood lake, kayaking, jetskiing, alligator spotting, swimming, and waterskiing whenever the opportunity arose. I loved living only an hour-and-a-half drive from countless beaches - exploring New Smyrna Beach and Melbourne Beach while living in Orlando. I even got to visit Disney for the first time, making two trips and experiencing and appreciating the theming design and storytelling at Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and EPCOT.
My coworkers at Nautique were incredibly welcoming to me as their first industrial design intern, and I got to learn about the entire boat design and manufacturing process. They generously invited me to conferences with their parent company, CorrectCraft; brought me to numerous team and corporate networking dinners, and even took me wakesurfing on one of the company test lakes for my last week in chilly December. Imagine wakesurfing during the work day in December, while “on the clock” – I was thrilled.
My co-op in Orlando was a huge confidence-booster for me – I learned that I was capable of living and thriving on my own, building a network inside and outside of work. I experienced two hurricanes, weathering one on my own and booking a last-minute flight to avoid Hurricane Ian. I met the most beautiful community of people at Antioch Community Church in Oviedo, Florida, and I know I will always have a family of friends and a house to crash at with my group when I visit Orlando in the future. The Anitoch community welcomed me with open arms and provided me with friendship, games, bonfires, and food in the evenings after work.
I’ve realized that, in less than three years, I’ve moved eight times and changed jobs five times. Throughout these massive transitions, I’ve learned to roll with the surprises that life throws at me. Whereas I formally looked at change with apprehension and fear as a younger person, I now recognize that situations are temporary and there is room for opportunity and new friendships in every location change and job change.
I recently began a new full-time co-op in exhibit design in Northern Kentucky. While I have a long commute (over an hour drive), I’m very excited about my friendly community of coworkers that treats each other like family and designs beautiful attractions. I’m grateful to have lined up this co-op well in advance – interviewing in August of 2022 and starting the position in May of 2023. I’ve become a resilient, confident, and strong woman despite the instability of moving constantly and undergoing constant shifts in relationships as a result. I’m proud to be an educated woman who is creating change and building relationships in the design workforce. I’ve been encouraged to find community with friendly people at churches and jobs in each place that I’ve moved. This has been a year of building strength, resilience, and new friendships.
I’m excited to see my network continue to grow in the next year, and to discover where my industrial design degree will take me next.
Junior Year
2023-2024
I grew a ton through my studio classes at DAAP this school year and my industrial design co-op at Eaton in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
During the fall, my skills were honed through my Homegrown studio, where I designed and manufactured craft wine racks and charcuterie board shelves with a team of two other girls. I learned a great deal about making, powder coating, and working with aluminum sheet metal, as well as leveling up my woodworking skills. During the month of November, I built our ten craft wine racks at the 1819 Makerspace from 8 am until 5 pm, five days a week. This was definitely the most energy I’ve put into a studio, but I enjoy the making process. Through this studio, I learned a great deal about working with a team and building techniques.
At Eaton, I was encouraged and mentored by my fantastic team, and even grew confident in my ability to lead and facilitate meetings, show storytelling in my portfolio, and better ideate through CAD iterations, sketching techniques, and pink foam sculpting.
I was blown away by the friendship and mentorship I experienced within the team of designers at Studio Blue. I was given many opportunities to grow my skills in facilitation, ideation, physical modeling, and research. On top of the great team culture and ample training and growth opportunities, I traveled for on-the-ground research trips at the Miami International Boat Show in Miami, FL and the Association of Marina Industries Conference in Fort Lauderdale, FL. I had the opportunity to experience three design thinking training workshops, which opened my mind to a new vocabulary for design.
To wrap up an incredible semester, I had the opportunity to put my design thinking training into action - assisting my team with organizing and facilitating teambuilding activities at the Studio Blue Grow conference with Eaton's global design team in Montreal, Quebec. Not only was this a semester full of "firsts" and growth on the professional side of life, this was also my first opportunity to travel outside of the US – and I could not have asked for a better crew to travel with.
This co-op influenced my professional trajectory, as I enjoyed the work I did. I now know that I would like to continue working in traditional industrial design or design research for a large corporation. Thanks to the opportunities to lead and facilitate meetings, I am now interested in eventually pursuing design management or some sort of management position.
For the next year, I aim to continue seizing leadership, facilitation, storytelling, and making opportunities. I’d like to seek out future co-op or job experiences to further this growth. I’d also like to stay connected to my community and get involved in more events around Cincinnati. For example, I’ve recently started a pickleball team, and would like to return to a line dancing group I visited before my move to Pittsburgh.
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Senior Year
2024-2025
To be continued...
