Enabling Creativity in Future Generations: A Conversation with Valentina Arismendi

For nearly 20 years, I’ve been passionate about enabling creativity and success in the future generation. So, I thought, what better way to keep us all informed on what matters to students and up-and-coming creators than by starting a spotlight Q&A to learn how we can support them, so they can successfully pursue their future career goals and aspirations.

I’m excited to kick off this series by sharing a conversation I had with Valentina Arismendi, education curriculum producer at Adobe. Valentina was an intern at Adobe and attended UNC before joining our Education team full time. Below Valentina shares thoughts on her previous education experience, challenges faced in pursuing her chosen career path, and how it all led her to her current role at Adobe. She also shares some advice for current students interested in creative careers, detailing what keeps her inspired. Let’s dive in!

Q: Describe your role at Adobe and a current initiative under your purview.

A: As a student curriculum producer for the education team, my main responsibilities include designing and creating content and learning experiences that engage students both in and out of the classroom. A current project I’m working on is a set of new short courses for students to learn essential creative and digital skills and earn micro-credentials to showcase on platforms like LinkedIn for future employers. It’s something I’m really excited about since I know this would’ve been great to have on my profile or resume when I was job searching.?

Q: Can you share a highlight from your internship experience at Adobe??

A: During undergrad, I had the opportunity to present how my projects with Creative Cloud were propelling my success at UNC to other schools at Adobe Creative Campus events. Eventually, this turned into an internship with Adobe and then a full-time job offer. A highlight from this experience was getting to speak with Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayan at UNC’s intern and new grad CEO Q&A. After sharing with him that I studied journalism in college, Shantanu shared how much he respected the journalism field. That was cool to hear because it’s easy to assume a man of his stature may only value STEM programs, but he shared with us how he wished he complimented his own schooling with a journalism class because of how important storytelling is in any job.??

Q: While attending UNC, what skillsets did you cultivate to prepare you to enter the workforce? Were there any skills (or tools) you wish you focused more on?

A: I was lucky that most of my professors at UNC assigned group projects rather than tests and papers. It prepared me for working in a team environment towards one common goal. In school, students oversee everything they produce from beginning to end. I had many group projects where we took on the roles of research, design, fundraising, production, and more all at once. In my role now, I don’t necessarily have to wear all those hats, but I do have to understand how each role works with each other to best support my team.

Q: Did you experience any challenges in previous internships and/or work roles? What about barriers faced when pursuing your chosen career path, based on the knowledge you gained while in school?

A: To me, a well-rounded education meant not just interdisciplinary courses, but also supplementing my days with internship experience. Not surprisingly, interviews can be one of the biggest roadblocks for students searching for opportunities like these. Even those who are naturally extraverted must practice the art of interviewing, and I was no exception. It was a challenge to learn how to correctly position my skills and present myself as the right fit for a role. Two years ago, I was interviewing for a research assistant role at an education policy firm. During my interview, the panel asked why I hadn’t applied to the communication intern position instead since it was more aligned with my skillset. Had I been asked this question in the beginning of my college career, I wouldn’t have known how to answer. Luckily, I was at a point where I could confidently show my digital portfolio and explain how my background in visual communication and journalism gave me transferable skills necessary for the position.??????

Q: What advice or guidance do you have for current students before entering the workforce? ??

A: The best advice I received was to find a mentor who is forward-thinking. Finding a mentor who helped me imagine new possibilities was the reason I could throw myself into multiple pursuits without being afraid of failing. I think it’s important for all students to build this confidence in themselves early on.?

Q: What is one thing you’re most looking forward to in 2022?

A: I’m looking forward to finding stability in this coming year. The last two years have been full of rapid changes, not just because of the pandemic, but also transitioning from a full-time student to a full-time worker. The pandemic accelerated innovation by forcing companies to let go of the “traditional” way of doing things. Due to this, I could dive headfirst into my projects when I started at Adobe as an intern and new hire (which had its pros and cons). Now that I’m almost a year into the role, I’m finally finding time to reflect and build on all that has occurred.?

Thanks for sharing your story with me, Valentina! If you’re interested in connecting with Valentina or learning more, please follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn.

I look forward to continuing to share Q&As with you on what increases student and creator engagement and success. My hope is that together we can learn a few new ways to help aid future creators with the proper knowledge and tools, so they can be prepared to enter the workforce.