Q&A With SSU Marketing Team Member: Kassie

Have you ever wondered what it’s like being in the Interaction Design program at Sheridan? We sat down with Kassie to chat about life in the Interaction Design program, working at the SSU, and her plans for the future. Whether you’re heading into the Interaction Design program, passionate about working in the industry, or just want the inside scoop on college life, check out our Q&A chat:

“My favourite course was in my first semester, Design & Visual Language. I loved playing around with Photoshop and Illustrator and learning about what makes a design stand out.”

- Kassie Ferraro

Q: What's the most exciting part of your program so far?

A: The most exciting part for me was always presenting my projects and getting feedback and critique for my work. I’ve always loved showing people what I have created and getting different opinions of my work and how I can improve it. 

Q: What's a project or assignment you're really proud of working on? What made it so rewarding?  

A: A project I was really proud of working on was my final project in the Design & Visual Language course. We had to create a brand based off an object and create a logo and an identity specification document for it. Working on the project was so much fun and I loved how the final logo and document turned out. That project is currently in my portfolio as well! 

Q: What’s something you wish you knew before going into this program?

A: Something I wish I knew was how intense the workload was going to be. The assignments can be very heavy and time-consuming, and at times, overwhelming and stressful, especially for first-year students. It’s important to use your time wisely and stay on top of your work! 

Q: What skill(s) did you gain from your program that helped you succeed in your position at the SSU?  

A: From my program, I gained presentation skills. In IXD, you do a lot of presenting and explaining your thoughts, ideas, and decisions. When it comes to working for the SSU’s marketing team, I’m required to talk with many students about our events and services and why the students should care about these things. Doing presentations in my classes really helped me develop my presentation skills more for my job. 

Q: What made you choose Sheridan and what made you select your program?

A: I’ve always been interested in art and design since I was young. Throughout high school, I took many visual arts, media arts, and communication technology courses that really inspired me to pursue a career in design. After graduating high school, I decided to come to Sheridan for the Art Fundamentals program due to the school’s impressive reputation. Through the Art Fundamentals program, I was able to explore different programs, one of them being Interaction Design. The courses for this program seemed very interesting and artistic to me. I decided to take a chance with IXD and applied for this program, and I am happy that I took this chance! 

Q: Tell us about your experience in your program. What surprised you most? What was challenging?  

A: I really didn’t know what to expect when I entered this program. I was nervous and excited to learn more about this growing field and everything involved in it. I was really surprised to learn about the many different career paths you can pursue in IXD, there are so many opportunities it’s almost overwhelming! Something I found really challenging was learning HTML, CSS, and Javascript. I had no experience with coding before entering this program, so trying to learn while completing a bunch of projects was definitely a struggle for me. 

Q: Favourite Course(s) & Why?

A: My favourite course was in my first semester, Design & Visual Language. I loved playing around with Photoshop and Illustrator and learning about what makes a design stand out. I was also able to learn InDesign while taking that class as part of our final project. 

Q: What's something you learned about yourself in this program?

A: I learned that I can be very hard on myself when it comes to my school assignments and projects. In my first semester, I would put a lot of pressure on myself to put maximum effort into every single assignment for every single class. I burned myself out quickly and had a difficult time getting my motivation back. This semester, I am trying to be more kind to myself! 

Q: How would you describe a typical day working at the SSU? 

A: Every morning, my team goes over our to-do lists sent by our supervisor. We usually start off by checking all the poster boards around the school, making sure that everything is up-to-date and that the poster boards are neat and tidy. After that, we will usually come back to the office and set up the cart for the day. We also discuss what activities we would like to do with the students and how we can get them excited about the events and services that the SSU offers. Once the cart is set up, we all go down and set up by the Tim Hortons and try to get students to interact with us! It’s really fun to meet new people and have them play our promo games like the claw machine, our wheel, etc. Once we finish our promo for the day, we come back up to the office and clean up the office area. That’s usually what a typical day working for the SSU is like! 

Q: What is something that surprised you about working at the SSU? 

A: Something that surprised me was how many job opportunities there are for students. There are so many interesting jobs like marketing team members, digital coordinators, graphic designers, editors, and so many more! It was definitely surprising to see all the jobs on the website and how many students were employed at the SSU! 

Q: What's one of the most exciting things you've done in your role so far? What made it so fulfilling?

A: One of the most exciting things I’ve done was working the TRC open house! Our open house was very busy that day and there were so many prospective students. The promo team was set up in the gym and we were in charge of interacting with the prospective students and getting them excited about possibly joining the Sheridan community. It was so fun talking to the students about our events and services and learning about why they wanted to join Sheridan! It was so fulfilling to see so many students be so excited to learn more about Sheridan! 

Q: What skill(s) did you learn from working at the SSU that would help you in the future?   

A: A skill that I learned was confidence. Interacting with so many students every day and getting them involved with the Sheridan community really helped me boost my confidence when it comes to sharing my ideas and thoughts with others. 

Q: What's your ideal life like after graduation? Share some of your goals and aspirations!   

A: I haven’t really figured it all out yet, but I would love to help my older sister with her goals (she is currently going to school to become a movie/TV producer). I would love to help her promote her movies/shows by either helping with the graphics (designing posters, banners, etc.) or by helping market and promote her projects! I think working with her would be so fun and interesting! 

Want to express yourself creatively?

Check out these blogs and get inspired to try a new creative outlet or platform! You can even read the authentic experience of an Illustration student at Sheridan!