Graphic Design student Zac Ross (ʼ23) is using design experience he picked up from hands-on opportunities as an undergraduate to finalize his design portfolio and chart a career path after Cabrini.
Even before Ross was embedded within a New York-based design and marketing agency during a fall 2022 internship, the Ridley, PA native had already made real-world impact when he created a logo for a local nonprofit serving refugee schoolchildren the previous spring.
Thanks to Cabrini’s partnership with Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA), Ross was connected with two high school students at nearby Episcopal Academy who founded Refugee School Supplies to provide Philadelphia-area refugee students with basic school necessities.
“I was really nervous going into it, because I didn’t know what to expect,” said Ross, noting how the Refugee School Supplies founders were his first clients outside a classroom setting.
The nerves didn’t last long. Soon after the high school entrepreneurs shared their vision for the nonprofit’s logo, Ross brought it to life.
“I wanted to create good work for them because even though I wasn’t getting paid for it, you want to put out the best you can all the time,” he said.
The organization’s mission resonated with Ross, who said he believes everyone deserves a fair shot in their education. Likewise, he said the welcoming educational environment at Cabrini was integral to his experience on campus.
“Being a part of the LGBTQ+ community, you want to feel accepted in certain situations,” said Ross, who serves as Vice President of SPECTRUM, the University’s LGBTQ+ student community. “Everyone being so supportive and supporting one another was really great.”
Ross naturally gravitated toward the arts as a kid, participating in school chorus and theater ensembles. He got his start in graphic design through his high school’s course offerings, but it wasn’t until his mother encouraged him to pursue graphic design that he believed he could make it a path of his own.
Now in his final semester at Cabrini, Ross reflected on his fall 2022 internship with Black Dog Designs, a creative agency based in Glens Falls, NY. His internship was virtual, but the experience revealed to Ross the different career options available to a graphic designer.
“That was really fun and interesting because I got to work with an actual design studio—seeing how they were working and communicating,” he said. “I could kind of figure out what route I’d like to go after school.”
More than just logos and graphics, Ross said he saw how designers were integral to the creation of publications and other digital and print materials.
The internship opportunity arose through Cabrini’s Center for Career and Professional Development, which connects students with internships and other opportunities tied to their degree focus.
“Students should definitely utilize the [CCPD] more,” Ross said. “They gave me a whole list of places to apply to—places that work with Cabrini students. It was 
fast. It was great.”
With these experiences on his résumé, Ross said he could see himself working in the agency environment as well as at a larger company as an in-house designer. In fact, he said his dream is to work for a Major League Baseball team as a graphic designer.
“As long as I push myself, I can get there some day,” he said.
Ross is preparing for when that day arrives by compiling his design portfolio and working on personal branding in the form of business cards. His designs tend to use a lot of bright colors, particularly pink.
“I tried to tone it down but then it was mentioned, ‘this isn’t really you,’” he said. “You never want to change yourself.”