Over 50 digital media students showed up to showcase some of their most noteworthy projects at this semester’s Digifest. Many students look forward to this event, as it is a great way seniors to show off their portfolios and network with alumni, faculty, and industry professionals. This semester’s Digifest was held March 23 at the University of Houston’s College of Technology at Sugar Land.
Jerry Waite, Ed.D., Professor and Program Coordinator of Digital Media is in charge of Digifest. Waite mentioned that Digifest is a reverse career fair where students come together in one place to show their best work and employers come to discuss potential job or internship opportunities. “You can think about it as being both a career fair and a senior show,” Waite said, “it’s a merger of those two events.”
Digifest highlighted various types of projects including digital photography, videography, gaming app design and simulation, graphic design, computer graphics, print media, and packaging. Senior digital media student, Elysha Garcia, stated that effective communication, innovative problem solving, and an engagement strategy are necessary elements in media production. For the event, she worked with a team to create a Digifest invitation to send out to employers with specific graphics, messaging, and design focused on an elevator pitch that would spark an interest in the student’s work at first glance. She also stated some of her favorite projects involve applying technology and art together.
More than 40 employers attend the event excited to see the new and innovative projects digital media students have been working on. One employer, Ben Williams, CEO and the principal consultant at Velocity Technology Associates, Inc. discussed some key principles candidates should encompass that his team is looking to higher.
“The most important things I look for are go-getters, people who are curious, great communication skills, and I look for people who can assist us with doing our digital media campaigns,” said Williams.
He also mentioned that because technology changes so fast, it is important that people are adaptable and willing to learn the new technologies, and become valuable members of a team.
Digifest occurs fall and spring and plays two roles for both semesters. In the fall, it gives senior students the opportunity to display their work and practice interview skills with alumni. For spring, it is a career placement event where students present both an electronic and hard copy portfolio, and employers meet and interview students.