Bailey Bates

Bailey Bates said that she spent most of high school expecting to study business in college — until a career exploration class senior year sent her in another direction. 

“I researched different careers,” she said. “I came across graphic design and felt like it might be a good fit for me.”

It was the variety of directions you could go with a business degree that appealed to her but she learned that graphic design also offered variety. Graphic designers might work as in-house designers for a single brand; at an agency, with different clients in different industries; or run their own businesses. And from websites, to app interfaces, to print, packaging, typography, and more, there are dozens of areas for anyone who wants to specialize.

Bates interviewed a graphic designer to learn a little more, then applied to Russell Sage College where her older sister was already a BFA student (Bailey Bates will complete her BFA in Graphic + Media Design in 2025; Kaitlyn Bates earned a BFA in Interior + Spatial Design in 2022.]   

RSC and graphic design were great choices, Bates said.

“Highlights from the last three years have been the open studios. where all the work from each semester is showcased in the art building, and other events like stuff-a-plush [an annual, super-popular, make-your-own-stuffed-animal activity], creating our own student exhibition in the Little Gallery and getting to spend every day creating and challenging ourselves to become better designers.”

“I have gotten to explore different forms of art and design,” she continued, “for example, doing projection animations in Animation I, designing a cookbook in Type and Design II, and packaging design in Graphic Design III.”

A scholarship helped her focus a little more on her studies and a little less on the financial aspect of attending college, she said, plus meeting scholarship donors gave her another connection to the wider RSC community. 

When it came time to prepare for her BFA program’s required internship, Bates said Professors Leah Rico and Sean Hovendick were terrific resources. “Sean is the chair of the art and design department, so he works with all of the students preparing for an internship. He helped me prepare my cover letter, resume, and portfolio so that I could be ready to apply.” 

In summer 2024, she took the skills she built in RSC’s design classes to an internship at Elevation Ten Thousand, a full-service media, marketing, and creative agency.

She created website banners for local car dealerships, blog graphics for Elevation 10k’s website, helped design billboards for a bank, and contributed to a number of design projects — including football jerseys — for a high school with an updated mascot. 

“It was really cool to work with them and see my work being used out in the world,” she said, adding that she also learned more about how designers collaborate with social media teams, SEO and digital marketing departments, web designers, and print shops to meet clients’ needs.

“I feel confident knowing that when I graduate this May, I’ll be ready to start the next chapter and achieve my goals.”