My
name is Leilani Romero, and I am a Graphic Design Intern for Al-Mutanabbi
Street Starts Here DC 2016. On a weekly basis, what I do for the internship
changes. During the Fall semester (2015) I mainly worked on the preparation of
the festival. I helped design bookmarks, brochures, and Gallery labels and
other similar materials. I also had to conduct some research. Second semester,
because the Festival opened in January, has been a little different. Instead of
preparation, the focus this semester is mainly on the upcoming events (through
March) for AMSSH and also on the magazine we are working on Witness and Memory. For this magazine,
each intern wrote an article based on his or her experiences with the project
or based on a specific event. One thing I discovered this week was how these
festival events and exhibitions around DC can impact a community, and send such
a strong message. I can see this experience being related to my long-term goals
through the knowledge I am gaining while working for this project. There is
definitely a skill set, professionalism, and a lot to be learned about the
process and work that goes into a festival as extensive as this one. As a graphic design intern, designing a lot
of the components for the festival has given me a taste of what it will be like
to work as a designer post graduation.
