Katie Ryder

21 April 2019

Year In Review






This past year has been a very busy one for me. I have had three different jobs in three
different cities across the country. I have moved three times, developed new hobbies,
and grown as a student and a designer. I have met lots of new people from all over the
world, and gained a more diverse world view as a result. For me, this was a year of
adventure and trying new things, and has not been without its ups and downs, but
overall I look back on it happily. 


The first thing I did this year was move back to LA for a second co-op at Skechers, as
a color and materials intern. It was my first time returning to a co-op for a second time,
and though there had been some changes in the time since I had left, it felt like
returning back to a very familiar team, and I was able to jump right back in. This time, I
was working with a new group of interns, one form UC, one from University of
Washington, and one from ArtCenter in LA, but who grew up in South Korea. It was
cool to be able to work the same job with new faces and perspectives.  It was here that
I learned to be more of a leader and a teacher. I was asked to train and guide the newer
intern in my division. At first, it was a challenge to figure out how to be an effective
teacher, and where to start. It was a little awkward to direct someone in the same
position as me. I decided to go about it as if it were me being taught, and think about
what I would want help with and where I would want some independence. As I got into
the semester though, I think it helped me grow because I had to explain why I do
things a certain way in addition to showing the process. This made me evaluate my
own design process and I think that I have grown from it. 


While in LA, I was able to take advantage of the culture and location once again. I
continued to develop my rock climbing skills, and met new people via my rock gym. I
also got more into surfing, taking many day trips up the coast with friends to Malibu. I
definitely focused on health and activity a lot while I was in LA in a way that I have not
when I live elsewhere. The weather makes it easy to stay outside and the culture there
definitely makes it easy to be active. 


The next thing I did this year was move back to Cincinnati for the Fall. Here I was able
to get back into my routine a little bit and experience the college lifestyle once again. I
had the opportunity to give back to the community and to society this semester
through a long term project involving the Freestore Foodbank, a food bank local to the
Cincinnati area. I did a project redesigning the graphic design materials and way
finding materials for the food bank. I did several shifts of volunteer work to gather
information and lots of secondary research as well. This project was very eye opening
and was a way to give back to using talents that I specifically have. 


For the spring, I was able to move to New York City. I am very grateful to be able to
experience the two most iconic and largest cities in the country all in one year. In New
York, I worked at a startup called Aaptiv, which is very different than the other
companies that I have worked for. It is a very upbeat and dynamic environment, in the
One World Trade Center, which is one of the coolest offices I’ve ever worked in. New
York itself has been very cool, but I have definitely learned that it is probably not the
city for me. I miss the open spaces of both my home in the midwest and the west
coast.

Something that solidified for me this year is that I want to move back to LA when I
graduate. I really liked LA the first time I moved there but I figured I would like any big
city that I moved to. However, I have lived in or visited several other cities this year
such as NYC, Denver, and San Francisco and none of them have held the same place
in my mind. I don't think I would change this about my year, but given the chance
again, I don’t think I would try to move three times in one year again. In the future, I
would remind myself not to stretch too thin, and not worry too much about missing out
on things that other people are doing. Therefore, my goal for this year is to focus on my
relationships and having a good time, whatever that means for me, even if it isn’t as
adventurous and busy as I have been in the last few years. I’m approaching my last
year of college and I want to take advantage of that while I can.