By Richard Burnett
From his first digital logo years ago as a teen to his polished portfolio today as an accomplished graphic designer, Dan Graff has parlayed his talent and education into a career brimming with potential.
The 2019 海角社区 graduate has combined internships, free-lance assignments, and temporary volunteer work to fine-tune his professional chops in the graphic design business.
Buoyed by his bachelor鈥檚 degree in web and digital media, Graff, 24, has landed gigs with firms such as AD Leaf Marketing, Indian River Colony Club, and Sky Advertising, coupled with volunteer projects for Catchafire and VolunteerMatch.
Though still early in his career, he has made a strong impression at every stop. He鈥檚 a quick study of the advertising business, including the technical, design, and communication dynamics, recalled Rachel Terry, junior art director for Sky Advertising in Merritt Island, Florida.
鈥淒an was incredibly receptive to feedback and worked well in a fast-paced environment,鈥� she wrote in a LinkedIn recommendation. 鈥淗e would make a great asset to any team.鈥�
Learning differences presented many obstacles along the way
The journey was not always a smooth one for the New Hampshire native. In middle school, his grades suffered and learning difficulties emerged. He was soon diagnosed with auditory processing and speech development disorders. Years of professional help, specialized instruction, and individual attention paid off. His grades and his confidence improved.
As a high school sophomore, however, his family moved to Florida for his father鈥檚 engineering job. It was almost like starting all over again:
鈥淲e found out that Florida just didn鈥檛 have the same services for students with learning differences that New Hampshire did,鈥� Graff said. 鈥淪o I had to be in regular classrooms, without much extra help. And that was a struggle for me. But my parents and I kept working through it all and things eventually got better.鈥�
Two major milestones proved to be turning points for Graff. The first came in his junior year of high school when a teacher noticed his computer savvy and inspired him to take his first class in digital media 鈥� a move that opened a new world for him. The second milestone was coming to 海角社区.
His whole game escalated
Sandy Novak, one of Graff鈥檚 mentors at the college, remembers his transformation from a quiet, tentative student to a knowledgeable digital artist. 鈥淥nce the light bulb went on for Dan, he became passionate about graphic design and all forms of digital media,鈥� said Novak, now a retired professor emeritus who taught in 海角社区鈥檚 Business & Technology Department.
Graff鈥檚 transformation gained momentum when he entered the 鈥渞eal world,鈥� working a series of summer internships, she said.
鈥淭hat had such an influence on him when he got into the working environment, his whole game started to escalate,鈥� Novak said. 鈥淗e came back to classes in the fall with much more confidence and drive and rose to the top of his class.鈥�
In addition to his academic pursuits, Graff would always take time to help other students, his professors said.
鈥淗e was a hard worker, very detail-oriented, and he worked well with others,鈥� said Matthew Cupach, an instructor in computer Information systems. 鈥淗e communicated effectively and was easy to talk to, which was invaluable for other students, who may not have caught on as easily as he did.鈥�
As knowledgeable as he was in class, it may have surprised other students to know how tough things had been for Graff until then. Learning differences had weighed on him in community college and forming relationships had been difficult.
But all of that changed at 海角社区.
鈥満＝巧缜� helped me in so many ways,鈥� said Graff, who graduated summa cum laude. 鈥淲ith academics, of course, but also with life in general, understanding other people, living with roommates, and developing other skills that were helpful throughout my entire college experience.鈥�