Emmy Zaatar
- Assistant Designer
- Vera Bradley
School Information
School: Michigan State University
College Major: Other
Years at College Works: 2014
Career Information
Working For: Vera Bradley
Title: Assistant Designer
Industry: Design
Brief Description of Duties / Responsibilities:
Design Travel gear for upcoming seasons.
What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?After everything, I was most proud to receive the Cleanest Business Award in the mid west region awarded by the VP, Taylor. Post-CWP, my greatest accomplishment is being an Assistant Designer at an amazing company.
College Works Career Impact
In one sentence, what has CW meant to you?
Interning at College Works Painting taught me core skills to be successful in my career and how to develop a business in an area of work I was familiar with at first.
How did your CW experience impact your career? Immediately after graduation? Now?
I would say working at College Works Painting did help with different aspects in the career I had now, most companies I interviewed for thought it was interesting a fashion major (then marketing) had a painting company. I feel it showed them my determination, work ethic, and how I want to be the best in any area of wok I put myself in.
What do you want to tell your clients about what it meant to work with them and how it has helped you get to where you are today?
My clients believed in me and I worked tirelessly to make them happy. I developed great relationships with them and I’m thankful they took a chance on a 100 pound girl to paint their house! haha
What was the greatest lesson you learned from your CW experience?
Not to give up and to be patient. Mostly, anyone can do anything they put their minds to. I am not a quitter and some people I worked with said they weren’t either, yet everyone dropped like flies when the job got tough, you had to market in blizzards and wake up at 6am everyday all summer. But if you want to be successful, you will be.
How have the friendships and networks you built during CW affected you?
I loved the people I worked with and the relationships I built with my College Works Painting fam. That is a big reason I enjoyed it. The people I worked with and friends I made are still some of my friends now! and I love seeing how successful they have gotten through the years with their careers.
Advice
What advice do you have for potential CW participants? Current CW participants?
Be optimistic, think positive, know you can achieve anything you put your mind to. It sounds cliche, but its incredibly true. Know you will work long hours, and you will work a few months without seeing one paycheck, but you learn many great life lessons, and if you are ambitious and love a challenge, this is the right internship for you.
Many college students struggle to choose between an internship specific to their target industry or doing CW. What advice would you give them on this subject if they wanted to enter your career field?
At first, I was a marketing major, so College Works Painting was not too far off my internship range. After that summer I changed to be a Fashion Major, which was right after my freshman year. I would say pick the internship that is directly in your career field. I chose CWP because I know how important it is to have a strong resume and I wanted an internship my freshman year, and many companies do not hire freshman interns.
What’s your best advice for someone interested in entering your career field?
Its very competitive, you need a lot of experience and you need to do a lot of research for every company that you interview with. College Works Painting has helped me in many ways such as work ethic, interview skills, and work life balance.
What’s your favorite memory from CW?
Windsor! That was the best, so much fun.
Last words of wisdom?
Its not for everyone! So if you do not think you can do it, do not. Its blunt, but its true. If you love a challenge, want to build your resume, and want to be different from the crowd, challenge yourself, and make some unique memories. I really had one of the best summers that year, from the friends I made (and eventually the money I made) I was grateful x100.