During my contract position, I worked hard to ...

Prologue: The beauty of The Underground Agency is that our employees change every semester as we are 100% staffed by undergraduate students at NKU Haile College of Business who dare to enroll in one of the courses that is integrated into The Agency. Every semester, we have a chance to start from scratch and discover new talent. Talent that may become an Agent of Economic Empowerment–employees who return as clients, mentors, or recruiters for our current employees. Today's interview is about one of them, Kayla Combs (Assistant Designer - Creative Marketing at Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ). Sit back and enjoy an interview with our former "agency mom"–yes, that was the role Kayla was given by her former Agency colleague Adam Clements .

David: How are you, Kayla?

Kayla: I’m doing very well! I’m still living in the Cincinnati area and working remotely. I’ve been spending a lot of my time with family, friends, and boyfriend, Austin. I've also been traveling, going to concerts, and trying new baking and iced coffee recipes. I have a trip planned with friends at the end of the month to Portland, ME, and I’m so excited! I’ve never been to Maine before, but I’m looking forward to all the beautiful scenery and the seafood.??

David: You will love Maine! Though we have not explored its seafood, we did explore its rock climbing and hiking potential. So, you are still around our beloved city of Cincinnati yet you work for Abercrombie & Fitch which is headquartered in Columbus, OH. How is your remote job?

Kayla: My job is honestly going great! I’m an Assistant Designer for abercrombie kids in the Creative Marketing department. My main responsibilities include site, app, and paid media design. Recently, I had the opportunity to design new email templates. I’ve been here for almost a year – and the time has really flown by. I really enjoy my responsibilities, my team, and the growth opportunities here at Abercrombie & Fitch Co. . I was able to travel to Columbus back in May to meet my coworkers in person for the first time and had a really great time (see photo below). I still have?so much?to learn, and I’m really excited for the ways I can continue to grow my skills.

David: You have no idea how happy I am to hear that you feel you still have so much to learn. That is a true sign of your growth mindset. I have always loved that about you. I also love how creative you have always been which is one of the reasons why I am really excited about this interview–your Graphic Designer journey. Can you tell me a little bit more about how you got your current job?

Kayla: Around this time last year, I was feeling pretty lost in my life and career journey. I had made a very difficult decision to leave my contract position at P&G with plans to move to Savannah, GA to pursue an MFA in Advertising & Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). As the time to make the move to Savannah grew closer, I started to get cold feet. It was going to be a huge move for me, and I wasn’t sure that I was ready to be that far away from family, friends, and the life I had here in Cincinnati. Also, the price of attending SCAD is very expensive, and I wasn’t completely sure that it was the best time for me to make that decision financially.?

After coming to terms with the fact that I wouldn’t be making the move (this came after I had already been to Savannah a couple times and picked out an apartment – yikes), I decided to put my entire focus into finding a job that allowed me to do what I was most passionate about: graphic design. I was looking at companies I was interested in, searching open roles on LinkedIn, reaching out to my network about potential opportunities, and updating my portfolio to showcase my best work.?

During this time, I found Creative Circle on LinkedIn , which is a recruiting and consulting services company. They had several open positions, and I applied to a packaging design role here in the Cincinnati area. I was quickly connected to Trevor, a recruiter from Creative Circle, and he worked with me closely so that he could get to know me better and connect me to potential opportunities that would be a good fit for what I was looking for and my skill set. I had a couple interviews with a few different companies, but wasn’t entirely sure that any felt like the right fit.?

After a couple weeks, I received an email from Trevor about a contract opportunity at Abercrombie & Fitch Co. to help during the holiday season, and I immediately expressed my interest in the role. Even though the role was only listed for three months to start, I thought it would be a really great opportunity to work for such an iconic brand. I went through a virtual interview process, and actually interviewed with my current supervisor. I remember feeling so excited after the interview because it went very well, and I felt like the role and company could be a really great fit. After a week, I was offered the contract position and I jumped right into my role at A&F.

During my contract position, I worked hard to become a valuable member of the team. Also, I kept expressing interest in a full-time opportunity. After going through another virtual interview process, I became a full-time associate back in January.?

David: What a great story! I have an incredible respect for you because you are one of those who I believe strive to live in their element. We are who we are because of the experiences we have had. It's the experiences that help us discover our element. So, what experiences had the greatest impact on your personal and career development?

Kayla: As you know, I have a pretty nontraditional path to becoming a graphic designer. I was a marketing major at Northern Kentucky University , but I’ve always been interested in graphic design and how it was related to business since I was in the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) - High School Division of FBLA-PBL in high school. During this time, I competed in graphic design related events and placed at the national level twice. FBLA is really what sparked my interest in design, and since then I have taken every opportunity (or created opportunities) to sharpen my skills.??

During my time at NKU, I volunteered to design flyers for on-campus organizations, found ways to incorporate graphic design into my on-campus position with the Center for Student Excellence at NKU Haile College of Business , and of course always raised my hand to design for clients in The Underground Agency . During my last semester at NKU, I took an elective course (ARTV101: Visual Design Basics) with Professor Fearing and learned a ton about Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, and that left me feeling more confident in my skills as a future designer.??

With my experience in The Underground Agency as a Team Lead & Creative Designer during my senior year, I was able to network with Taylor North at 宝洁 . Through several projects with her, I was able to meet with her and her colleagues regularly – and little did I know at the time that I would actually be working with them shortly after graduating from NKU. ??

A couple months after graduation, Taylor had reached out to me about a Customer Experience contract role. I really enjoyed working with her and the team from my time at The Underground Agency , so I leaped on the opportunity to come onboard. As a common theme throughout my professional experiences, I quickly asked for more responsibility to take on design-related work on the team. I worked closely with Taylor and Alli to execute the email and paid media design strategy for the brand, managed the organic social media, and worked in packaging design for the first time to launch a new product. I was able to grow so much in this role, both personally and professionally, and I’m so thankful for that experience and the team at 宝洁 that have had such a profound and positive impact on my career journey.?

David: I really hope all of my current rookies and apprentices read this interview because you have just provided great evidence that our journey is built around the experiences and the people who are part of those experiences. Without them, we would not discover who we are in terms of what we are good at and actually enjoy. Our element. Speaking of that, what is your element?

?Kayla: This question is bringing me back to my last semester at NKU in April 2020… working on your capstone class remotely from my small apartment when the whole world shut down. So much has changed in my life since then, but I think my element has remained the same through it all: “I am an upbeat, compassionate, resilient collaborator with a creative growth mindset and a knack for communicating ideas visually.”?This is a great time to say?THANK YOU?to you and Alexandra Bowden for walking us through this exercise in your capstone class. Not only was I able to find and articulate my element, but because of the work I have been able to find opportunities that allow me to live it. ???

David: You are so welcome! I still remember working on it with you while we were all locked up in our cozy homes. It's funny how our ability to articulate who we are can impact our journey. And speaking of the journey, what do you see for yourself in the future?

Kayla: With all the uncertainty of the past few years, I’ve really tried to start living more in the present and taking things day-by-day. That doesn’t mean I don’t have future goals, but I’m trying to just enjoy the moment that I’m in now without anxiously looking ahead to the future as much. This has been a game changer for my mental health as well. With that said, I’m really enjoying where I’m at now, both personally and professionally. I see myself staying in the Cincinnati area and growing with A&F. In the next couple years, I hope to have the opportunity to be a mentor to junior designers joining the company. I’ve been very lucky to have incredible mentors in my life (you included), and I hope to be able to pay that forward one day.?

David: So important to be present! Without it, most of the opportunities pass us by without us noticing them (because our minds are stuck in the past or future). I know that it has not been easy for you to get where you are. Yes, it is true you have mentors who encourage and support you along the way. At the end of the day, it is you who walks the path. So, any advice for my current rookies and apprentices who are wondering about their path?

Kayla: Look into contract roles available either in the field you want to work in or the company you want to work for. Both of my jobs post-grad were contract roles, and it really allowed me to get fully immersed in the company culture and the type of work I would be doing. Think of them like an internship. It’s a great way to get more experience in the field and to get your foot in the door. And if you do a good job, you’re far more likely to be considered for a full-time, permanent position if one becomes available.

I would also say to try living in the present moment more without worrying so much about the future. I spent so much of my time in college worried about what would happen next, and looking back I really wish that I had allowed myself to enjoy the experience more. Things have a funny way of working out when you put the work in, so try to enjoy the journey. ???

David: Hey, we all learn by doing. Like Yoda says: "Do or do not. There is no try." I think your advice captures that quite well. Put in the effort into experiences and people that can help you grow and good things will come out of it. The problem is that when we are young, we lack understanding of what experiences and people are actually worth blood, sweat, and tears. Kayla, thank you so much for your time. It has been a real pleasure re-connecting with you. See you at our next Happy Hour!

Epilogue: Kayla has never stopped exploring, learning, caring, and sharing. And that is how she discovered her spark, her element. Now that she has lit it from within, she only continues adding fuel to it by continuing to explore, learn, care, and share. Sooner or later, her spark will turn into a fire. And when that happens, there will be a lot more upbeat, compassionate, and resilient collaborators with creative growth mindsets and a knack for communicating ideas visually! I can't wait for that!