NCCC Success Story

Where is your hometown?
Poughkeepsie, New York

What was your degree program and graduation date at RIT/NTID?
Associate’s in Design & Imaging Technology, December 2024

What is your preferred language of use: ASL, Spoken English, Both or another language?
Spoken English and Hungarian

What was your high school experience like? Were you mainstreamed, the only deaf person in the class, or were you enrolled with deaf classmates?
I was in a high school with a bunch of hearing students, I think that’s what mainstream means.

What was your college search process like, and what reasons made you choose RIT/NTID?
I worked with VR, my counselor suggested NTID because of how much benefits they offer for hard of hearing students.

Did your identity as a deaf/hard-of-hearing person have an impact on your college choice?
A little bit, I was just unaware of how I would communicate with deaf students because I’ve never been around that community before. But eventually, I figured out that there are ways to communicate with them like through the notes app or interpreters.

What makes RIT a good fit for you?
The teachers are fun to have, I enjoy all the events that go on around campus.

Are there any unique benefits gained at RIT/NTID that you could not find elsewhere?
I really enjoy the events RIT has to offer, like the hockey games and all these other cool opportunities.

What are your peers like at RIT/NTID? Do you have a mix of hearing/deaf friends?
I know a couple students just from being in the same classes, two are deaf and so I feel like I’m good at communicating with them even though they’re deaf and I don’t know much ASL.

Are you involved with any extracurricular activities on campus?
No

What is your career goal?
I’m hoping to find a job with photography or graphic design, or even anything related to social media / marketing.

How has your experience at RIT/NTID prepared you for your career?
The classes really helped, I enjoy the production courses where we learn how to make mugs, shirts and posters. They’ve taught me how to use those machines and so that would definitely be beneficial for when searching for a job after I graduate in December.

If possible, what one word would you use to describe RIT/NTID?
Fun

If applicable, what was your co-op employer name and location?
I worked with Different Side Media which is run by Robert & Alyssa Parker. Most of the work was remote but it was based in Poughkeepsie, NY.

If applicable, what was your position at your co-op and what were the role’s responsibilities?
I worked as an administrative assistant, using Notion and Metricool to schedule social media content for clients. I helped Alyssa with her photography business by assisting in an engagement shoot and editing photos in Lightroom. I also photographed Robert's bar performances and joined a client filming session at a golf course, where I brought my camera and networked with the owners. It was a fun way to gain experience and put myself out there.

If applicable, how did your studies at RIT/NTID prepare you for your co-op?
I met up with a NTID Career & Co-op Center staff (Sophie) and she helped me with finding / searching for co-op’s. I found mine by reaching out to a local Facebook group and asking people if they were in search of an intern for the summer then Alyssa reached out.