Meet Lizzie, our crochet-loving, social media-inspired Graphic Design Intern

Nice to meet you, Lizzie! Tell us a bit about yourself.

I grew up in Las Vegas and came to Reno for college. I started attending the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) in 2019 and graduated in Spring 2023 with a BA in Journalism with an emphasis in PR and Advertising and a minor in Public Health. I’m currently working on getting my MA in Journalism with an emphasis in Strategic Communications. I love journalism and I do a little bit of everything, from writing to PR and graphic design. Last year, I was the news editor for UNR’s newspaper, the Nevada Sagebrush, and I recently started writing for Teen Vogue.

What drew you to design? (Pun intended.)

When I initially started my studies at UNR, I didn’t know what career I wanted to pursue, so I followed in my sister’s footsteps and studied pre-nursing. During the pandemic, I developed an interest in public health and switched my major, but deep down, I knew this wasn’t my true passion and I wanted to be in a more creative field. At this point, I didn’t know how my love for creative things and social media could translate into a career. However, the realization that I was more passionate about the reporting aspect of public health than the scientific aspect led me to journalism.

The Reynolds School of Journalism recently launched a student design agency called Alpha Design. Through that experience, I was able to work with real clients and practice adhering to brand guidelines. In the meantime, I was also discovering my love for graphic design as a resident assistant. Through planning and promoting events, I found my passion for building community – and using advertising to do it. Since it's not news that local news is dying, I knew reporting wouldn’t sustain me financially, so I decided to pursue my found love for graphic design.

Any niches you’d like to explore?

Eventually, I would love to work with music festivals — that’s a big dream of mine. Stanford University has its own music festival, and I recently worked with them to create their advertising and digital content for Instagram. It was so fun and definitely something I’d love to do again.

Have you always been a creator?

Yes, I would say I’m equal parts creative and self-driven. In 5th grade, I wanted to go on a pricey field trip, so I made a deal with my parents. When I told them I raised half the money by making and selling beaded bracelets and other accessories at school, they agreed to pay for the rest.

My current hobby is crocheting (and spending too much money on yarn). My mom crochets and has a business in Las Vegas. After I graduated with my bachelor’s, I needed something to fill my time, so I learned to crochet and helped make stuff for her business. One of my favorite things I’ve ever made is a sweater. It took two weeks and a lot of hand cramping, but it was so worth it and it’s one of my most prized possessions.

Why Estipona Group?

As a journalism major, the agencies we always heard about were Estipona Group and the Abbi Agency. I applied to Estipona Group last summer, but I didn’t get the position because of my lack of experience. However, over the last year, I’ve been super focused on getting as much experience as I possibly could. As a grad student, I needed an internship to graduate in the fall. I was considering reaching out to Estipona Group without even knowing they had a graphic design intern position open. I think I manifested it because when I went on Instagram, I immediately saw that Estipona Group posted the graphic design internship application, and I applied right away.

During my internship, I’m excited to get more real-world experience working with clients and developing my creative approach. In school, our work is mostly geared towards students and Gen Z, which is easy to do because I’m both of those things. I think this internship will help broaden my scope of who I’m able to resonate with through design. I graduate soon, so I’m thinking about what I want to do right after graduation, and I would love to stay with Estipona Group. This position is really important to me — it could be my stepping stone into a career that I’m really passionate about.