Future alumni behind-the-scenes

Annie Wang: graphic design assistant

It’s one thing to study microbiology. It’s another to apply that learning toward making an impact on the community through medicine.

Annie Wang followed similar logic when she applied to work in graphic design as a first-year at the University of California, Davis.

For Wang – who hails from Ottawa, ON, Canada – choosing UC Davis made sense because it simultaneously offered a supportive, relaxed environment and a rigorous microbiology program.

“I also really like the warm weather here,” Wang said.

In addition to her medical career aspirations, Wang is incredibly passionate about art and graphic design. She served on her high school arts council – where she helped design posters and merchandise – and has taken on many personal drawing projects. Over the summer, she came across an opening for a graphic design assistant position with Development and Alumni
Relations. 

Despite entering new academic and national territory, Wang ran with the opportunity to channel her passion and turn it into something much bigger.

Working in graphic design

Though Wang understandably had some uncertainties when she first joined the Marketing and Communications team at DEVAR, she has come a long way.

Her assignments start out as project briefs with a set of descriptions and requirements. From there, Wang creates mood boards and eventually rough draft designs, receiving feedback, advice and encouragement from Hannah Wong and Sam Sellers throughout the process.

“They have really helped me feel like I earned my place here,” she said.

Wang has found immense value in applying her artistic flair within a corporate setting.

Compared to her leisurely projects, her assignments at DEVAR follow more explicit guidelines. However, she doesn’t feel limited by this design style.

“I really like that extra challenge – that it’s more structured,” Wang said, “because then you can find creative ways to get around that.”

It may be difficult for many to see a correlation between microbiology and graphic design, but to Wang both fields have the same central focus: people.

“Graphic design is very focused on empathy and what people need,” she said. “That’s also applicable in biology and medicine.”

It is the opportunity to create an impact on the community at large that has inspired Wang to
pursue these two vastly different disciplines in tandem.

More about Wang

After her first two quarters at UC Davis, Wang certainly does not miss the frigid temperatures she was accustomed to back at home, but she does miss the snow. She has also realized in her time in the U.S. that she took outdoor ice-skating rinks for granted.

“I really miss that part of Canadian culture,” Wang said.

Though she arrived at UC Davis from Ottawa, Wang is originally from Montreal, QC and speaks French.

Wang is not the only member of her family to have come out to California. Her dad and brother were already living in the state prior to her attending UC Davis, which was an additional influence on her decision to study here.

Including Canada and the U.S., she has been to ten countries. Those other eight are Mexico, China, Japan, France, the U.K., Spain, Morocco and Cuba. 

One thing that has been a constant throughout Wang’s life is her affinity for the arts. On top of her endeavors in visual art, she is a music aficionado, listening to a wide array of artists and genres.

“I can’t live without music,” Wang said.

Wang’s love of music meshes well with her love of graphic design. Listening to her favorite tunes while working on her projects helps to ground her and spark her creativity. 

Despite managing a busy microbiology workload, Wang has not been deterred from committing to her artistic ambitions and leaving her mark on the world through design.

Maison Erridge: digital marketing assistant

With six years of writing and editing for her school’s yearbook under her belt, Maison Erridge knows a thing or two about spreading the word — literally and figuratively.

A third-year transfer student at the University of California, Davis, Erridge was eager to find work on campus that would open doors to future career paths.

“I wanted to expand my horizons, being a communication major,” she said.

Erridge’s plans to take on a double major in STEM informed her job search as well. An ideal position would combine her passion for communicating with her knack for crunching numbers and organizing.

“I love Excel, and I really like data and analytics,” Erridge said.

So, when she learned of an opportunity to work as a digital marketing assistant for Development and Alumni Relations, everything fell into place.

Working in digital marketing

In her first two months with DEVAR, Erridge has faced and overcome several challenges. 

Her primary responsibilities include compiling and interpreting spreadsheets of social media analytics, transferring magazine material to web format, updating the GIVE to UC Davis site, helping with newsletter structuring and otherwise assisting Joe Lynch and the rest of the Marketing and Communications team.

Many aspects of the position felt like uncharted territory to Erridge when she started. 

“It was a steep learning curve,” she said, “but now I feel like I’m getting more into the motions of things.”

One of the biggest contributors to Erridge’s success has been the welcoming atmosphere around her in the office. She feels very comfortable in her workplace, and there is never a shortage of conversations to be had or connections to be made.

“Everyone that I’ve met has been more than nice,” Erridge said. “It’s been a very nurturing environment.”

Additionally, her time as a yearbook editor prepared her for digital marketing in ways she never expected.

Prior to coming to DEVAR, not only did Erridge have ample experience with general outlook, but she was also well-versed in website construction. As it turns out, the website editing software she used for yearbook is very similar to what she uses for her DEVAR assignments. 

Such factors have allowed Erridge to ease into her role and maintain a healthy balance between her job, her studies and her personal life in the process.

More about Erridge

Erridge’s work history includes a little bit of everything. Notably, she worked as a clerical intern at a biology research laboratory near her hometown of San Ramon, CA and as a phlebotomist at a free sexual health clinic in San Francisco.

Currently, Erridge is also a research assistant at the UC Davis Media Lab.

“We’re doing a research study about how children learn using video games,” she said, “and if the ability to choose engages them and helps them learn better.” 

Although Erridge is happy to work with the children in the study, she has found that she much prefers tabling and interacting with the parents of potential subjects — putting her outreach expertise to good use.

In her free time, Erridge likes going out with her friends — of whom she is the tallest — as well as playing problem-solving games like solitaire and sudoku, crocheting and watching movies and TV shows.

UC Davis has been Erridge’s dream school since her freshman year of high school, and in her first year here, she has not been disappointed. It didn’t take long for her to fall in love with the campus, city and community of Davis.

“It’s so whimsical,” Erridge said.

She extends such glowing reviews to her time with DEVAR and has high hopes for the future: “I feel like I’ve learned so much already, I’m just looking forward to learning more.”

Like the many rough yearbook drafts sent her way, Erridge’s book is still being constructed.

Casey Hirsh: publications assistant

Four months ago, I never would’ve imagined I’d be here right now, spending in-office working hours writing a self-profile. Then again, I don’t think I would’ve imagined having an office job before I get a degree in the first place.

My name’s Casey, and I’m a third-year student at the University of California, Davis, studying English and communication. I’m from Oak Park, CA, about an hour’s drive from downtown Los Angeles — barring traffic, of course.

From the time I could hold a pencil, I’ve been writing stories. Whether it’s a dense piece of magical realism or a blog post about my birdwatching exploits, narrative-form writing has always felt like the truest expression of my innermost thoughts and personality.

In my first two years at UC Davis, I generally avoided any journalism or communications opportunities. I was under the impression that these writing styles wouldn’t support the level of creative expression I was accustomed to.

Then, I began working as a student writer for Development and Alumni Relations, and my perspective shifted dramatically.

Nonfiction writing is not as straightforward and objective as I once thought; just like with fiction, there are an infinite number of ways to arrange a story.

I learned this first-hand while constructing my first article for the Marketing and Communications Content team. Thanks to feedback and reassurance from Betsy Levine, Clémentine Sicard and Courtney Tompkins, I wasn’t discouraged from inserting my personal voice into each line, and I never felt like I was doing something “the wrong way.”

And that’s just for the more formal publications — I also get to take on projects like this, where I have so much creative liberty it’s almost scary! I’m tempted to expand this self-profile segment so I can try out some of my new stand-up comedy material… but I figure I’ve spent enough of my shift joking around already.