Aug. 30, 2021
When I decided to apply for ISM last year, I can assure you that what this first week has taught me is definitely not what I was expecting. I was expecting to be thrown into a class composed of constant essay writing, stressful time-related deadlines, and was especially expecting to reach out to mentors as soon as possible. Thankfully, this was not the case. At all.
ISM, or the Independent Study Mentorship program is a program for high school juniors and seniors designed to give them a “jump start” to their careers. Each student selects a topic of their choosing to study and research over the course of the year all while working on major projects, conducting interviews, learning about professionalism and business-related tips, and finding a mentor to help guide and advise them through the first steps of their careers. My topic of choice is UX Design. In a nutshell, when developing a product, UX Designers develop ideas, prototypes, and wireframes as well as research, design, and develop systems in regards to the given product. I have little to no experience with UX Design specifically and assumed that I would already be behind in class because of this, but I was surprisingly ahead. I was also not completely bombarded with essays and the pressure to find a mentor as soon as possible, but was actually encouraged to seek motivation for the year and was told I could generally work at my own pace. As you could imagine, this advice was incredibly relieving to hear.
Though the week was still somewhat stressful, I luckily already had my website, resume, and Linkedin profile set up so I was one step ahead of the rest of my class. Though, it was only a small step. Because I currently own a photography business, I decided it would be most convenient to merge my ISM digital portfolio with my photography website. When conducting this merge, I struggled with keeping the two concepts separate while still keeping the website related to me and my work.
Next week, though, I plan on seeing how my updated website works out now that I will be adding more elements to my digital portfolio as well as finalizing details on my website and fully revising my resume to include recent changes in regards to my new career path in UX Design. Overall, I look forward to this year and am excited to learn more about ISM and what it has to offer.
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