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Digital Workshop Center

Student Testimonial – Graphic Design and Digital Marketing Certificates

Nov 3, 2023 | Advanced Graphic Design Certificate, Alumni Success, Digital Marketing Certificate, Testimonials

Through feedback and employment reports from alumni students, we have recently been able to connect with a few alumni to talk about their experiences as a DWC student, any current professional endeavors, and how their time at DWC shaped their professional lives.

One of the first students we were able to catch up with was Clarke Hoyle, who graduated from the Advanced Graphic Design and Digital Marketing certificate programs in 2022. Clarke had heard of DWC through her local workforce center and after being let go through the COVID pandemic, found she was able to transition into their dream career with a little guidance from our instructors and student advisors. Keep reading to learn more about Clarke’s experience as a DWC student and how she is shaping the digital world of local political campaigns.

student testimonials

What led you to choose DWC as the next step in your education? How did you end up in the Advanced Graphic Design & Digital Marketing Certificate Programs?

During COVID, I was unfortunately let go. I was on unemployment and I remember having a meeting with, I guess you would call her, my workforce advisor. She was asking me, what are you interested in? How can we help you find employment? And I told her, You know, I don’t have a degree, but I really have always wanted to do graphic design and digital marketing. And she was like, we actually could probably do that for you! I was ecstatic. So she had a gentleman call me and he basically just asked, you know, what my goals were, why did I want to get into graphic design, etc. After our discussion, he mentioned he had a program I could get in and that they could help out with tuition and help in the job search.

So that’s kind of how it started. He just told me a little about the school, the programs, and with financial assistance, you know I had to hop right on the opportunity!

Have you always had that passion for graphic design, marketing, and that digital world? 

Absolutely. When I was in high school, I took what I think they called multimedia class back then; I really enjoyed doing it. I do it on my own time and play with Illustrator on my own time. But, like I said, I didn’t finish college, so I didn’t have a degree. So I thought I can’t be a graphic designer. So when this came along, I was like, yes this is my opportunity!
student testimonial

Thinking back to your time as a DWC student and being in online classes, what do you remember being kind of the most influential part about the two programs?

I would say how hands on the teachers were. First of all, the professors were extremely knowledgeable in what they were teaching. They were very, very good at answering questions, providing assistance, and very responsive to emails. And I have to say the camaraderie, because the classes were so small. Everybody was able to express themselves, ask questions, you know, questions other people might have had. And so I just think the experience all together was, I don’t know, it was very nice. It was nice to be in a small space, but actually be close to people where we could talk and ask questions and provide feedback back and forth.

So, what are you doing now? Do you have any current professional endeavors? How do you feel as though the programs prepared you for the workforce you are in?

Well, once the classes were over, my goal was to look for an internship and my workforce would help pay for it. I found an internship for a small fitness gym; it was  a great start for me because I was able to do social media graphics, and design fliers and banners. Once the internship was over, I actually got employed and now work at TurnitBlue Digital, which is a political marketing institution. What we do is basically when someone wants to start a campaign for senator or governor or city council or any kind of government position, we come in and we market for them. So personally, I design logos, I work on social media pages, websites, and any of the banners they want to use for the campaigns. I love it. I absolutely love it.

Do you go into the office or is it remote work? 

Yeah, it’s actually full time and it is remote. The business itself is actually located in Colorado, which is where I was for a prominent amount of time. It’s great. We have meetings every week. It’s like a small team of five of us. We all live in a different time zone. It often works out perfectly. It’s awesome.
student testimonial
Learn more about Turnitblue Digital: https://www.turnitbluedigital.com/about

Do you and your team work with anyone, no matter how big or small their campaign is? 

We do local campaigns and campaigns for larger organizations and agencies but we only work with the blue side and democrats. We also have a partnership under the same owner and it’s called Strategies. Over there, we do the same thing, but we do it for more like nonprofit organizations, causes in the community or types of propositions that somebody’s trying to get passed in their local community.

What advice would you offer to somebody considering us as a school, but also to those considering the Graphic Design and Digital Marketing Certificates?

Just be invested. If you show up, you’re invested and you put in the time, the teachers will feed you the rest. They’re so hands on. And outside of class, make sure you’re working on the things that you learned in class to make sure it stays fresh in your mind and to help get your creative juices flowing.

Because the more you do it, the more you get ideas, the better you get.

Digital Workshop Center is a great place to go to school. Administration is extremely communicative as well as the teachers. Every time I did have a question for the administration, they were really quick to respond. They were always very helpful.  If classes got changed, they made sure they contacted us pretty immediately. I would say the whole experience, it was very comforting. It made me feel like I had a track to go down and I was able to go down it.

Like many of our alumni, Clarke was able to turn their passion into a dream career. Ready to take the leap yourself?

Learn more about the Advanced Graphic Design and Digital Marketing Certificates below, then sign up for an info session to speak to a student advisor about the benefits of a DWC education. 

student testimonial
Advanced Graphic Design Certificate
Digital Marketing Certificate
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