SCAD Atlanta has produced many great students and alumni. To kick off the quarter, SCAD Connector has caught up with Andrea van Hintum (BFA Fashion Design with a minor in sculpture), Jared Steinberg (BFA Writing), Albie Eloy (BFA Graphic Design with a minor in motion media) and Samelia Bankole (BFA Professional Writing), and they’ve shared a bit about what their lives have been like since leaving SCAD, their favorite parts of their SCAD experience and their advice to current SCAD students.
When did you graduate from SCAD?
Andrea van Hintum: May 2015.
Jared Steinberg: March 2015
Albie Eloy: Spring 2015.
Samelia Bankole: March 2015.
What have you been doing since you graduated from SCAD?
AV: I moved to NYC the day after graduation (with my one way greyhound ticket) not knowing if I would have a job or where I would be living. I ended up landing a full time position with Haddad Brands, a privately owned family business that owns the licenses to Kids Nike (Nike, Converse, Hurley, Jordan Air, and Nike SB) and Kids Levis. I am working as an assistant technical designer and I absolutely love it. Love it so much, I don’t consider what I do as “work” but instead as a passion. Starting in January though, I will be moving to work for Ann Inc as an assistant technical designer for both their woven bottoms and denim. Another great opportunity I am excited to begin.
JS: Odd question as I sort of galavant. I work primarily as a self made/freelance content writer and editor. I’m also on call at TCG – The Creative Group just outside of Lenox Financial Center where I also act as content writer. In my spare time I go on open mic poetry tours and work in various forms of print publication from Amazon Direct to Button Poetry.
AE: Since graduation, I have been working as a designer at The Barbarian Group, a tech-centric, digital ad agency based in Manhattan, New York.
SB: I have been writing for small community magazine called Eagles Landing Neighbors. I interview residents, business owners and community leaders for each issue. I get to write a feature piece and some editorial pieces. I am still scanning for another writing job to continue to grow as a professional.
How do you feel that SCAD helped prepare you for the workplace?
JS: Bouncing from class to class in high work environment taught me to if not multitask how to manage my time and set consistent work hours. Through all my classes I developed a strong work ethic and you know better than most that the Writing Major instills a very clear drive to experiment, edit, and refine, things that have served me well beyond the boundaries of my work.
AE: SCAD provided an incredible amount of opportunities to meet and interact with industry professionals, whether at a career fair or at a lecture. Not only were these inspirational for myself and other students, these opportunities set expectations for our work and way of thinking creatively.
SB: SCAD does a great job of providing a variety of classes that teach you to write or create in different genres and forms. Also deadlines were very helpful in preparing me to be organized and time conscious. I am using these skills and knowledge I gained at SCAD on the job now.
What’s your favorite thing about your SCAD experience?
AV: I honestly cannot just name one thing. It was the biggest privilege of my life to attend the university of my dreams. Every day was never like the other, and that would honestly be my overall favorite aspect of my college career.
JS: Honestly this is the easiest question to answer, the faculty and friends. Some of my fondest memories are of early morning or long afternoons spent crowded around that big glass table at Ivy Hall talking shop with my fellow writers. Every professor mentored me to a great degree (shout out to Darby in particular for nurturing my love of fiction) and fostered a love of discussion. That right there is one of the major advantages of SCAD in my opinion. Not the pomp, frills, or artifice of the halls or the bloated language plastered in every “welcoming” brochure. SCAD at its best gathers creative minds together and lets them work off each other, lets them inspire one another, and lets them build lasting friendships that transcend departments and carry over into the “real world.” It’s something I have experienced less and less after leaving SCAD.
AE: My favorite thing about my experience at SCAD was the sheer diversity of the people I met, both in and out of the classroom. Interestingly enough, I felt that I learnt an incredible amount about not only design, but also about working and collaborating with others.
SB: I enjoyed the extracurricular activities and events at SCAD. I enjoyed writing for the SCAD Connector/SCAN Magazine. I was also a part of Engage, one of the many fun clubs in school. Events were also awesome, everything from aTVFest to Music under the Stars. I liked the fact there are so many occasions to connect with fellow students.
Do you have any advice for current SCAD students?
AV: Get involved, take advantage of all the opportunities SCAD has to offer you. The minute I received my acceptance letter to SCAD, I promised myself that I would travel abroad to all SCAD campuses. I also knew that I was capable of being more than just a student at SCAD, I knew I had the potential to give back to my university and community as a student leader. Throughout it all, you meet and have new experiences that define not only your career, but the person you are in this world. Put yourself out there in the creative industry. Believe in yourself and go for those internships and dream jobs. Companies want to see you can work with others, they want to see you have professional work experiences. Employers also want to be inspired by you, never forget you chose to study art and design because it is your passion. Always build yourself up more with confidence, never compare yourself to others. Inspire those around you with your story, we are all different and you never know who may be looking at you as a role model. Never be afraid to take chances, not many people in this world make their passion their career. Life is a lot more fun when you are doing what you love. So many people wish to have the opportunity to study in a place like SCAD and actually do what they love everyday. I loved SCAD and I miss it and everyone so much. I wish the best to everyone and all I can say is continue to do what you love, reach reach REACH for the stars, but put in that effort to build the rocket that will help get you there. Trust me you won’t regret it and it will be totally worth it!!
JS: The best advice I can give is don’t worry about doing everything. As I said before there is a lot of artifice at SCAD … and new students might be tempted to throw themselves at everything in the hopes of sticking to something. I saw so many of my friends lose their minds over the most basic internship or develop literal ulcers because they tried to take on too much because they believed that if they didn’t do everything they would get nothing. It’s a fallacy that needs to be stamped out because while I would never discourage anyone from trying new things, pulling your hair out for a meaningless internship is missing the point of SCAD. Instead experiment with your craft. Develop your skills as an artist and as a professional not by doing more work necessarily but by immersing yourself in the kind of attitude and culture that you want to find yourself in. Writer for the Connector or SCAN, join a student organization, go out to gallery premiers, or get your work published in the Ivy Hall Review if you’re a writing major. All of these things will serve you infinitely better in the long run because it’s all about WHAT you know, not WHO you know. Long winded way of saying “work smarter not harder”
AE: Focus on the quality of your work as opposed to the letter grade it will receive. Grades or numerical values do not dictate nor represent your ability as an artist or designer. When approaching a project, instead of asking the question “Is this work worthy of an ‘A’?” ask yourself “Is this the work I genuinely want to make? Did I really try my best? Am I happy with this result?” You will motivate yourself to keep doing better — nothing will stunt your creative growth more than being satisfied with your current level of ability.
SB: Find out what you are passionate about. Work hard. Be on the lookout for opportunities to advance in your craft.
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SCAD Atlanta alumni
