Interviews & Stories by Nicole Caron
Ringling College students are well trained to jump on opportunities. Recruiter presentations, portfolio reviews, and Career Services sessions all work together to help students land exciting, prestigious positions and fulfill the College’s number one goal: Helping them turn their passions into professions. Here are four 2021 alumni who sailed into their first dream jobs within sixty days of graduation.
GRA PHIC DE S IGN
REBECCA MIRANDA
JUNIOR DESIGNER GUT Agency, Miami, Florida Rebecca Miranda (Becca) came to Ringling College with a certificate in digital media/multimedia design from McFatter Technical College. Becca’s design teacher there had several Ringling books that hooked her interest. She describes “freaking out” when she sent her portfolio “last minute, my Senior year,” and when receiving her acceptance letter and the Dean’s Scholarship within what seemed like a few days. “Last minute impulses do work at times!” she says. Class projects helped Becca refine the skills she brought to her first job. While working towards a minor in Business of Art and Design, she created an entire marketing plan for a business class and created a synchronized swimming exhibition highlighting her former swim coach’s accomplishments as a first Black woman in her field. She also designed, laser printed, and handpainted a small replica of a street in Viejo San Juan, Puerto Rico, showcasing her home and her roots. Becca cites her Typography, Portfolio, and Graphic Design 3D courses as particularly influential.
GRADUATED: MAY 2021 HIRED: MAY 2021
Becca parlayed that experience into her first position at Miami-based GUT Agency. She began applying for jobs in April 2021, through LinkedIn, and notes that in one week she applied to twentysix positions. “I thought I would either have to move to L.A., New York, Portland, or Seattle,” she says. “Then GUT appeared on my LinkedIn feed. I sent my application, shut off my computer and said good night. The following day I had a message saying, ‘what a professional email - we’d like to sit down and talk with you.’ Out of those twenty-six, only one other agency reached out to me. Within a week I had an interview. I got a job offer the next day. That was mid-April, I started May 3.” In fall 2021, Becca designed the key visuals and posters for social media for musical artist Megan Thee Stallion’s Hottie Sauce campaign in partnership with Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen. Becca recalls that when Megan Thee Stallion posted it on her Instagram, she almost cried. “That was my first project at GUT,” she recalls.
“Ringling is very rigorous,” Becca says. “You have to really look after yourself and ask, am I really serious about this? If you did 100 [designs], then do 110. Push yourself to the limit to improve. If you’re really certain about what you want to do, start looking at places where you want to apply. You should already have a resume and keep it and your portfolio updated. Make sure the major/ career you choose to pursue brings you happiness and enjoyment. That is the most important thing, if you love what you do then you can conquer anything and everything with your passion.”