Sam Odom
Senior Digital Media and Advertising and Public Relations major and Graphic Design minor Dominic Mottola is one of many remote students across the country doing a remote internship this semester.
Originally from southwest Ohio, Mottola moved to Cincinnati recently.
“My girlfriend lives in Cincinnati and it’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to come back to,” Mottola said. “I absolutely love it here.”
Mottola is interning remotely from Cincinnati at Peace River Center as a graphic design intern.
The Peace River Center is a nonprofit organization that offers mental health services, victim services, substance abuse services and general health and wellness.
“They don’t really have any in-house graphic designers, so any graphic design needs end up falling to me,” Mottola said. “I’ve designed social media posts, infographics, logos and more.” The impact of graphically represented ideas is always surprising. The demand for graphic designers proves it.
As of now Mottola has designed the Peace River Center’s 2020 impact sheet, a sheet that shows how many people the company has helped, the amount of people working for the company, and their overall work. He also helped with the center’s event.
Mottola explains that he feels confident in his abilities, so he did not feel nervous being the sole designer for the company.
“I wasn’t too nervous being the only design person there, I’m very confident in my abilities and being able to speak to different design projects,” Mottola said. “Leading Lux12 and working freelance has really helped me hone my skill and ability to communicate design language.”
Mottola has a busy schedule this semester with four classes, his internship, leading Lux12 and also doing freelance work.
Motolla just finished a freelance job for FSC Assistant Professor of Communication Doctor Pamela Dykes, where he created branding concepts and logo designs.
“My favorite part about this semester has been preparing my portfolio for the big job hunt to come,” Mottola said. “I’m super excited to get out into the professional world so making sure my portfolio is in top shape has been super rewarding for me.”
Overall, Mottola says that this experience has furthered his communication skills, whether that be over email or explaining his work. Other than remote learning, he stays connected to campus through Lux12, a student-led creative agency at FSC.
“Lux12 has been a good way to stay connected, we get to interact with different on-campus groups and just interacting within the group keeps that feeling of connectivity to the campus,” Mottola said.
After he finishes his internship and graduates from FSC, Mottola plans to look for jobs in Cincinnati, and he says that he’s excited for future opportunities.
