Success Stories

In Spring 2020, Renan de Olivera embarked on an exciting new internship at the Danforth Museum. Under the direction of Dr. Yumi Park, Renan created trilingual exhibition labels and flyers to better reflect the rich diversity of the City of Framingham and the MetroWest area. These texts—in English, Spanish, and Portuguese—help cultivate a welcoming atmosphere for more museum-goers. This project was supported by the FSU Civic Engagement & Service Learning Center.     

Essential Skills Employers Want: research, public relations, communication                                                 

How many college students can say they’ve curated an exhibition? In an independent study with Dr. Yumi Park, Libby Goodreau and Aemilia Ohop did just that. In Spring 2019, Libby and Aemilia organized and curated An Exploration of African Art at FSU’s Whittemore Library. The pair gained true hands-on experience, researching and handling the materials to better understand how to present them, and working collaboratively to bring their vision to life. “They’ll have no fear because they were taught how to handle these objects, which brings confidence and capability," Dr. Park said. "It’s not theoretical—they have actual work experience in this field.” In addition to gaining first-hand experience curating the exhibition, Goodreau and Ohop also presented their experience and participated in a Q & A on the exhibition’s opening day. (Photo credit: Donald Halsing/The Gatepost)

Essential Skills Employers Want: creativity, analysis, research, organization

As part of their semester coursework, PORT101 students crafted children’s books in Portuguese for first-graders in the bilingual programs at Potter Road Elementary School and Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in Framingham. Under the guidance of Dr. Everton Vargas daCosta, students identified vocabulary, grammar, and cultural content that would be both challenging and fun for young readers, and then proposed, drafted, revised, and presented their creations. Students also learned about the literacy experiences of children and the work of language teachers, gaining awareness of the challenges immigrant communities face, and acted as positive interveners. This project was supported by the World Languages department and the FSU Civic Engagement & Service Learning Center.        

Essential Skills Employers Want: cultural competency, innovation, curiosity

Learning how to work with real clients is crucial for anyone planning a career in graphic design. The Mancuso Center, in need of a logo, provided this practical experience to two FSU Studio Art majors, Diana Azen and Kim Thorpe. As part of Professor Stephanie Grey’s Advanced Graphic Design and User Experience Design class, Diana and Kim each created a design brief and suite of possible logos, which they presented to members of the MHWPC advisory board. After incorporating client feedback, Diana and Kim revised and presented their final designs. (See which was selected as the official MHWPC logo!)

Essential Skills Employers Want: communication, presentation skills, creativity