Saints Spotlight: Shennah Derstine '17

Shennah didn't have to go far to find the right internship opportunity. In her last semester at school, the communications major/graphic design minor reported to Emmanuel's on-campus Marketing and Communications department, where she worked on a range of graphic design projects, including creating posters and flyers to promote Emmanuel events and programs. This was Shennah's second internship, having previously worked at Improper Bostonian magazine. She believes that her entire college experience—from her internships to her communications coursework and her time studying abroad in Ireland—gave her a solid foundation to start life after graduation.

"My internships helped me to better understand what I want to do in my career, and they really pushed me in the direction of graphic design. My internships also showed me how to apply the things I learned in class to the real world."

Shennah has launched her career in graphic design back in her home state of Maine—and stayed within higher education. As a graphic designer at the University of Maine, Shennah works within the colleges, schools, institutes and departments to create consistent visual design concepts that adhere to the University's brand standards and institutional marketing objectives. Her typical projects include a wide variety of print publications, displays and other graphic elements needed to meet the University's design needs. She also collaborates with the marketing team to design UMaine Today magazine.