You wouldn’t think Zach is from a small town in South Dakota by looking at his style and creative career goals. Even though he wasn’t raised near a big city, his ways of thinking are those of someone ready for the world of mass communication. He is a senior this year and will be graduating with a Public Relations major and Computer Science minor in May.
Photo Credit: Ka Vang
HC (Her Campus Winona): How do you feel about this being your senior year? What are you doing as school wraps up?
Zach: It’s pretty surreal, but it’s exciting. Winona became my home these last four years, but I’m ready to move on to the next chapter.
As school has started, I’ve just been doing a lot of thinking about my options once I graduate. Beyond that and school duties, I’ve been spending time on getting freelance design work to sharpen my skills. I’m also focused on giving my all at my internship at Metre, an advertising agency in La Crosse.
HC: What’s Metre like? What do you do there?
Z: Metre has been pretty awesome. Ever since getting into my major, I’ve had a desire to work at an agency. I feel very grateful that I was able to get a position at one before graduating. The team is on the smaller side, but we’re tight-knit and very collaborative.
My position is a graphic design intern, but since I started in June, I’ve been able to get my hands dirty in a variety of work. Throughout the summer, I split my time with design duties and a project coordinator role, attending client meetings and setting internal deadlines for myself and team members. Otherwise a lot of my time is spent working with the other graphic designers and voicing my opinions in some strategy meetings. One of the most exciting projects was helping with a shot list and being on set for a full day of video shooting. We were on the Mississippi River from 8am – 8pm, and I worked closely with a videographer, bringing my shot list and making sure we were getting everything we needed.
HC: Why did you choose the career path you did?
Z: It fits with what I want for my future, and it’s where my passion lives. When I started school, I felt like I was trying to fulfill other people’s visions of what I should become. I also felt like I had this idea drilled into me that you can’t make it in a creative field, and a person should just do whatever makes them money. I don’t want to spend my life hating what I do in order to get a good paycheck. I’ve seen plenty of people in my life succeeding in a creative field, and that gives me hope.
HC: What are your plans or goals after graduation?
Z: While I feel like I have an idea, it’s still somewhat up in the air. I’ll be graduating in PR, so you’d think I’d want to go to a PR agency. Since getting into design, though, I’m torn. For now, I’ll get as much out of my internship as possible and see where Metre leads me. Otherwise, I have a few agencies and design firms in mind where I would want to apply. Some are in Minneapolis and some are as far as Portland, Oregon. Wherever I go, I’d like to move my way up in the creative field. Two of my current dreams take different paths: either working toward a creative director role or eventually working on my own, freelancing.
HC: What are some of your other hobbies and interests?
Z: Design! But no, really – a lot of my hobbies lately are based in design. Outside of learning more about graphic design, I’ve been putting more time into learning about photography and videography. I wish I could do it all! Every now and again, though, I do get away from my desk and go rock climbing or hiking around Winona. When I have more time, I’d like to get back into playing guitar again as well.
Inspired by Steve Cutts
HC: Since you’re originally from Milbank, SD, how did you end up in Winona?
Z: There were pros and cons about growing up in Milbank, but ultimately I wanted to move away for new experiences. I first wanted to go to the U of M, Minneapolis, but I ended up touring WSU and fell in love with it. At the time, my girlfriend was living in Wisconsin, and I wanted to be closer. It ended up working out that WSU had the same program she was looking at in UW La Crosse, so we both wound up in Winona.
HC: Where would you like to settle down and live in the future?
Z: While I want to have the experience of moving West for a time, I can see myself ending back up in the Minneapolis area. It’s close enough to family and there’s still a lot of opportunity there.
HC: What is your favorite part of Winona? What will you miss after you graduate?
Z: Oh man, there a lot of great things about the area. I love being in the beautiful bluffs and being able to easily go hiking or rock climbing. Besides missing Blue Heron’s prime coffee and scones, I’ll miss the supportive community at WSU, all of the help and advice from our professors, and of course my classmates. It’s been awesome and inspiring to watch us all grow and come into our own.
HC: You were a Campus Celeb last year. How does it feel to have another profile done on you?
Z: It’s great! I’m happy to share my story with others, and I hope it can inspire other people to follow their passions.
View Zach’s website and follow him on Instagram at @Zach214 to see what new and exciting things he’s up to as he finishes his time at Winona State.