Student Employee Designs Future in UTA Libraries Marketing Department

Allison Owens sat in front of a large iMac on her final day in the Marketing & Communications office of the University of Texas at Arlington Libraries. A blond bob framed round glasses as she wrapped up her final projects and cleared off her desktop.

The student employee started in the department at the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year and quickly became essential, providing social media graphics and posters for events like Doggy Days, Maverick Kitchen, and MavAwareness. She is receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Communications with a minor in advertising this Spring.

“Supervising and mentoring Allison has been a wonderful experience,” said Candy McCormic, graphic designer for UTA Libraries. “We are proud of her many accomplishments and can’t wait to see what she does next.”

When she applied to work at the Libraries, Owens was desperate to find something that fit her career goals.

“I was so sick of part-time jobs that weren’t serving me and my career,” Owens said. “I wanted to get something that applied to my major, because I was ready to do something artistic. And internship credit, that’s a plus!”

Owens found more than just credits and art in her role as graphic design assistant. 

“[This job] has definitely improved my design skills—my layout improved so much,” she said. “It also helped me be more time efficient and learn more about accessibility in design like colors and font sizes.

“I feel like I am better able to communicate with people through emails, too,” Owens said, which she emphasized was a skill she was already making use of in the lead up to graduation and job hunting.

Owens knows her experience isn’t an isolated case and encourages other Mavericks to apply for open positions at the Libraries via Handshake.

“There are a lot of different things you can do at the Libraries—you can work at the front, the FabLab, here in Marketing—so just find what you like to do and go for it,” Owens said. “Just look at what’s available.”

As her graduation date approached, she reflected on the bittersweetness of her time the M&C office coming to an end.

“I really enjoyed working here and it really benefited my career,” Owens said. “What more could you ask for?”