At Air Waves, we believe partnering with universities and colleges is vital in setting up students and recent graduates for success as they start on their career paths. Through job fairs, alumni networking, and other opportunities, Air Waves has connected with qualified, motivated, and creative individuals that have become a part of our team.
We had the opportunity to connect with a few former CCAD students to learn more about how their time spent at Columbus College of Art and Design helped shape them into the team members they are today.
Brianna Parrish ‘15
Q: Please share a little more about your experience at CCAD:
BP: At CCAD, I studied Illustration. My most impactful class, while I was at CCAD, was Self Promotion with Andy J. Miller.
Q: How did CCAD help prepare you for your career?
BP: CCAD provided me the opportunity to meet a variety of creatives who each had their own unique style and individual career path. Exposing myself to so many career options led me to step out of my comfort zone and ultimately make the jump into the career I have today!
Q: Is there a staff or faculty member at CCAD that had an impact on your education/career that you would like to give a shout-out to?
BP: Andy J Miller was one of the most talented and influential artists I had ever met. Listening to him talk about his career journey and it’s many ups and downs, he inspired me to start my own. We were shown the importance of self-promotion and ultimately not being afraid of putting yourself out there as an artist. I still follow that advice today.
David Herfel ‘87
Q: Please share a little more about your experience at CCAD:
DH: While at CCAD, I majored in Illustration and minored in Advertising. My illustration and production classes greatly prepared me for my career.
Q: Is there a staff or faculty member at CCAD that had an impact on your education/career that you would like to give a shout-out to?
DH: Dennis Drummond was very influential during my time at CCAD.
Darby Hepner ‘18
Q: Please share a little more about your experience at CCAD:
DH: I came to CCAD with an Associate’s in Art from a previous college, then graduated with a BFA in Illustration.
Q: How did CCAD help prepare you for your career?
DH: Any projects we did that involved self-branding and resume building were very helpful, and the thesis class was useful in helping me hone the skills I wanted to build my career on.
Q: Were you in any groups or organizations that helped prepare you for your career after graduation?
DH: CCAD has a pretty diverse set of requirements for each major to make sure the students’ skills are versatile which helped me figure out what kind of work I wanted to do after graduation. I was also very drawn to the school because there was a focus on career-building and not just producing work. I had many opportunities to learn how to perfect my resume, how to promote my skills, how to legally protect my work, and how to build a network.
Q: Is there a staff or faculty member at CCAD that had an impact on your education/career that you would like to give a shout-out to?
DH: I learned a ton from all my instructors at CCAD, but I would specifically like to mention Maria Carluccio and Dave Groff.
Not only did I learn a lot in the class I had with Maria, but she offered me a summer internship where I got to work in her studio. I was able to see the day-to-day process of being a freelance illustrator and the experience taught me more about all that it takes to have a varied and thriving illustration career. She gave me opportunities to attend artist talks and events where I learned even more about all the directions I could take with my education.
I had my thesis classes with Groff, and he did a fantastic job guiding each of us in our unique projects. He made time to go through scenarios we might experience and taught us about pricing work and negotiating terms when working with clients, and he had us meet with other professionals he knew who helped us improve our websites/social media accounts. Every few weeks, we took one class period where he would give us a project that had to be completed and presented by the end of the class.
With those, I learned to make decisions and complete projects quickly without overthinking. That made me realize that I like zoning in on multiple quick projects more than working on one project for several weeks and that is exactly what I get to do when designing graphics for Air Waves now!
Kate Robinette ‘09
Q: Please share a little more about your experience at CCAD:
KR: I majored in illustration during my time at CCAD. The digital classes helped in all my job settings. At the time, I didn’t have much experience with Adobe programs and was more trained in traditional art, so learning to make art digitally was a huge eye-opener.
Q: How did CCAD help prepare you for your career?
KR: CCAD is great at preparing you for what to expect in your career path. You are taught to take criticism professionally and apply that to future projects. Having a degree from CCAD also opens many doors and provides a large group of alumni to network with.
Q: Is there a staff or faculty member at CCAD that had an impact on your education/career that you would like to give a shout-out to?
KR: Too many! All of my teachers have such a passion for the industry that made me excited to go to class and learn more every day!
Where Will You Go Next?
Are you a current CCAD student interested in joining the Air Waves team? Visit our careers page to view open positions or connect with us to see if we will be at your school’s next job fair.
