Since the beginning of the year, a handful of 数字艺术 & 设计 faculty members and students have been taking part in AIGA奥兰多的导师计划, an initiative that pairs talented college students and recent grads with local industry professionals. The four-month program culminates this Friday night with the SPOT Showcase, where each student in the program will display the self-promotion design project they’ve been working on under the guidance of their mentor.

Digital Storytelling Associate Course Director 迪翁艾肯 is the Director of AIGA’s Mentorship Program, which this year includes three 满帆 students as mentees and two faculty members (苏西·约翰逊和法蒂玛·赖斯)担任导师.

“This program was constructed to connect students to professionals and bridge that gap between learning and the real world,迪翁说。, who credits this year’s Mentorship Program with helping at least four students get internships or jobs. “这一切都是为了学生. If you’re passionate about something and you look up to somebody that does what you want to do, having the chance to work with them closely is great self-promotion to market yourself and get a job.”

在为期四个月的课程中, students work on a self-promotion packet with their advisor, who they’re meeting with face-to-face at least once a month. The students also attend monthly workshops that correspond with the stage of the design process they’re in with their projects, from studio tours to production-driven lectures. They’re also invited to attend all AIGA Orlando events for free.

“I meet with my mentee [a senior at the University of Central Florida] for brainstorm sessions and re-evaluation of her work,法蒂玛说。, 项目的第一年导师. “My role as a mentor was to help her clarify her future goals and re-design her brand to help her effectively reach the right group of employers. Her new brand is bold, deep, and poetic, like herself. It’s so gratifying to help students re-discover themselves and open up to a new direction.”

All of the students’ hard work will be celebrated and their final projects on display during Friday night’s SPOT Showcase, which serves as the official end of the 2014 Mentorship Program. A team of judges will choose the winning project, and that student will be awarded $500 and a one-year AIGA membership. Everyone who attends will receive a sticker that they’ll be asked to place next to their favorite project, and the student with the most stickers will win the People’s Choice award.

“The reason I really love participating in this program is because it goes a lot further than just a conversation about design. 我们都从对方身上学到了很多东西, even though we are at different phases of our professional careers,苏西说, who is also working with a student who is a senior at UCF and who herself was a mentee in the AIGA Mentorship Program in 2007. “I probably wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for all of the relationships I made through this program.”

AIGA/Orlando 2014师徒计划宣传片 由工作人员安娜·麦卡蒂创作.

AIGA Orlando’s SPOT Showcase is tomorrow (Friday, April 25) from 6:30-9:30 p.m. 在北纬1121号的奥兰治工作室. 米尔斯大街. 门票5元.00 for AIGA members and $10 for everyone else.