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Building a Career Before Graduation
Building a Career Before Graduation
Grace, the very first ABT Freelance Explorer, hopes to make an impact by pursuing a career in Art therapy. Graphic arts appeals to Grace because it connects with modern times as society becomes more technologically dominant, while still maintaining that human touch. Her reasoning behind her interest in the child psychological field is her family. She notices that as being a part of the Hispanic and Black community, “the feelings of children aren’t being taken seriously”. She states that “[she] feels that children need more spaces to express themselves especially in the various minority groups”. With her involvement in the field she hopes to aid in solving this issue. While helping her uncle, a local entrepreneur, create menus, a logo, and business cards for his deli, she has realized that she truly enjoys graphic design.
A big support as she ventures and navigates her future steps within her career aspirations is the Summer 2026 ABT FDA Earn-Learn-Apply Grow pilot program. As a part of the program she hopes to learn how other students who were in her position can learn how they can tackle different careers at the same time without feeling overwhelmed, or feel as if they have to sacrifice one passion to succeed in the other.
During the first day with the program, she was able to help students create a resume summary/objective. She was able to work one on one with a student and helped them to finalize his own resume despite not starting the day with a resume. At the end of the day the group had a reflection circle. In this circle the students expressed how they felt the day went as well as how the new opportunity before made them feel. Within this program she also had the opportunity to see what being a professional looks like and feels like. She says “the moment that made me feel most like a professional was every time I was called to give advice or explain a topic that the students didn’t know themselves, for example explaining what LinkedIn was”.
She observed that the students were engaged and already had an idea of the careers they would like to pursue. Not only was she mentoring these students, but she was one of them in a way as well. She speaks on how prior to the program she was just like them, since she wasn’t completely sure on what she wanted to do. In this experience she also saw how graphic design and child psychology, although different fields, can be combined within a classroom setting. Working with students on that day reinforced her passion to work with children, and it gave her the experience to work with them in a more natural setting.
In this experience she also learned more about herself. She states how growing up she was introverted and quiet, however, she surprised herself in her ability to speak with the students and in front of students. “I would have never imagined myself doing this” she states in an interview. She also sees room for improvement in her consistency regarding replying to emails. One day with the program helped her to further clarify what she wanted to do in the future because she enjoyed helping the students and going through the thought process with them was a glimpse into her future in the realm of psychology.
She also wanted to say to ABT donators “Thank you so much for your donations. I really feel like the opportunities I’ve had up until now would not have been possible without my summer experience back in 2025… The good thing about freelancing is that you can do your work from anywhere…I would not have been able to do that if I wasn’t being mentored, thanks to the contributions of ABT Donors”.
Her journey shows that, with the right guidance and opportunities, students can build careers that reflect every part of who they they are, without having to choose between their passions.
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