Zachary Vanderzel
Major: Multimedia (Graphic Design)
My name is Zack Vanderzel. I am from Vista, California. My major is multimedia with an emphasis in graphic design.
Have you taken part in any internships?
Summer of 2014, I had a two-month internship with Teamwork Athletic located in San Marcos, California.
I had a close friend from high school who has been with the company for about a year, and I asked her if they had any openings for a possible intern. She inquired and came back with a good response.
They decided to bring me into the headquarters and sit me down for a test of my multimedia knowledge and an interview with the product development manager. After a confident outing, I was sure that I had it in the bag, and about a week later they gave me the call and brought me aboard.
What was your internship like?
My internship that I was a part of was everything and more that an undergraduate student could wish for. They welcomed me with open arms and didn’t shy away from the casual pranks.
I was set up with my own desk and computer in the same area with the other graphic artists as well as the latest software to accomplish my tasks. My duties started out as simple data entry for the website and clipping out portions of photos for our liquid pixels program.
It then went further into laying out templates of the designs on Adobe Illustrator and being prepped to go out to the printer and be assembled. Then they gave me the opportunity to create and conceptualize my very own designs to be incorporated into their yearly catalog.
I first started with 12 unique designs and after meeting with the executives of the company, we narrowed it down to four concepts in which they thought would be the most popular to the dealers. I was honored to have my designs be selected and they even created a jersey with my design on it for my own personal property.
I came into work from 8-5 every day during the summer and was using Illustrator or Photoshop the entire time, so this internship did everything to complement my studies here at Cal Lutheran.
What has surprised you the most about your time at Cal Lutheran?
I am surprised that everything went by so fast. Having to balance class, work, and football for my entire time here really kept me busy most of the time and sometimes I wasn’t able to make the most out of some of my experiences here. That was a big surprise for me.
What are your goals for after your graduate?
My goal after graduation is to walk back through the open door Teamwork Athletic left me after I left my internship. It is located so close to my house, it would be hard to pass on the opportunity.
