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“What makes me most proud of this work is seeing how others reacted to the experience and the realization they had after going through it. It was cool to see the way I designed and told this story having an impact and it made me excited to pursue future projects like this."

Alizeh Khalifa  | M.S. Emerging Media and Technology

Current job: Assistant Director, Marketing; LaunchNET Kent State 

With her background in marketing and her experience of its creative side, graduate student and Assistant Director of Marketing for LaunchNET Kent State, Alizeh Khalifa chose the master's degree program in Emerging Media and Technology at Kent for its flexibility and how it supplemented her previous education.

"In the graphic design part of this program, I created a project about dementia," Alizeh said. "I designed this project as a conversation with someone who has dementia but the user isn't made aware of that until after the conversation. I conceptualized this on my own and learned new software in the process. What makes me most proud of this work is seeing how others reacted to the experience and the realization they had after going through it. It was cool to see the way I designed and told this story having an impact and it made me excited to pursue future projects like this."

M.s. emerging media and technology     CCI Graduate Programs

The program helped to expand Alizeh's career outlook as well. "I knew technology and specifically emerging technology would be relevant in my work moving forward," she said. "With the hands on experience I've had coding and building out projects, I feel much more capable and comfortable handling those. Moving forward I'll be able to better communicate within and guide team projects, and even help with the development process myself."

As the Assistant Director, Marketing at LaunchNET Kent State, Alizeh has a great deal of creative freedom in her career. There she  develops events, guides the design of merchandise and print materials and manages communications to their audiences. "I've been fortunate to work in a team where my new approaches and design ideas have been encouraged," she said.  "Taking this creative lead is something I've really enjoyed and intend to do more of in my career."

I think the idea of building connections was a big thing. The relationships you foster can go a long way and beyond what you think they could be. It's worth it to take the time to make an introduction and have a conversation because you never know where it could lead."

Advice for future graduate students:

“I'd say really take advantage of the flexibility of this program. Even if a class isn't on the recommended list, if you're interested in it that's likely because it ties into what you want to do in the future. The professors and advisors in the program recognize that and want to help you reach those goals. Have a conversation with them and see how those classes could fit into your schedule, cause chances are they can. ”