Casey Taillacq
Casey Taillacq joined the Digitize team as a sophomore in 2006. "When YEA first came into the classroom and told us we'd be running a business," she says, "the students were hesitant." But then clients started coming in, and Casey realized she could do this!
Not only can Casey work with clients but last year, her logo design was selected as YEA's new logo. Casey competed with eight other talented classmates and her hard work certainly paid off - today her logo is the face of YEA.
Casey says that YEA has been a great learning experience because of the hands-on work with actual clients. It's a chance to apply what they she learns in school to a professional job. During two years at Digitize, Casey has witnessed students who were extremely shy as freshmen become more outgoing and confident - in large part through the customer relations and project presentation aspects of running Digitize.
Casey also credits Digitize with improving her ability to formulate and present her creative ideas. When someone asked why she made a design choice before she joined YEA, she would say she didn't know or "it just looks good." Now she can stand, poised, in front of an audience and explain her work and the thought process behind it.
Working with Digitize volunteer mentor (and now YEA Board President) Steve Kendall, Casey learned about color theory, balance, and the nuances of building a brand. Steve led the teens in an in-depth exploration of logo design. As a result, not only is their design work better but the business team grew stronger. Today, all of the teens can give sound and constructive criticism to each other.
Casey also feels that working in a business helps students stay motivated. Every member of Digitize helps motivate the team by reminding the other members when projects are due and what benchmarks need to be met. Meeting deadlines is a team effort - and having real clients keeps everyone focused and motivated! Students cannot do "extra credit" or make-up work for a client. In business, a deadline is a deadline.
Reflecting on the "big picture" of her work at Digitize, Casey observes that running a business puts the YEA students "a step ahead of everyone else." This experience not only looks good on college applications, but also opens up job opportunities both in the near-term and later in their careers.
Casey is planning on a career in photography or advertising. A recent visit to the New England Art Institute (one of the schools she is considering) showed her just how many career opportunities exist in her fields of interest. Her first love is photography, but her YEA experience has taught her, among many other things, to keep an open mind to a world of possibilities.
