Welcome to My New Media Portfolio!
Below you will find:
1. My certificate Process:
I learned about the New Media Certificate because I heard about it through a school email, and it honestly sounded like fun to me. I have no background in coding, UX design, or app creation, but from the information I found online, the New Media Institute (NMI) seemed to be very successful in teaching its students how to use such things. I thought it would be the coolest thing if I could say I knew a little coding and web design, so I signed up for the first class and learned why the NMI is so great.
The new media certificate really opened my mind to what I can accomplish with technology and gave me the practical skills to do so. I started with a class called NMIX 2020 which laid the foundation for the certificate, taught me what Media was and how useful it is, and created in me an excitement to dive deeper into these topics.
I next took NMIX 4110 where I learned the basics of coding like HTML and CSS with integrations such as bootstrap and WordPress. I even learned a little bit of programming like Javascript. Over the course of the semester I was able to complete many projects where I got to build different kinds of websites with different purposes and integrations. It really enhanced my love for innovation and self-improvement because it taught me where I should look to solve problems. It taught me the importance of being detail-orientated by doing things like organizing files and maintaining a user-friendly web design. I started to feel so cool when I sent my first baby website to my family and said “look! I coded this by hand!” And as my final project I created my own website for my photography business that integrates Google Analytics. I am so. proud. of. it. (Click here to check it out).
I got to take a class where the Assistant Athletic Director of Social Media and Digital Strategy, Jen Galas, taught us the ins and outs of content creation for collegiate athletics. Taking that class after the Dawgs brought home the Natty trophy was truly special. It was so cool to learn about the sports industry, social media as it relates to sports, and also learn more about the internal mechanisms of UGA.
I also ended up working for one of my professors, John Weatherford, as a swim competition photographer for a year. I learned so much from him, and he really helped me improve my photography business. He put me in contact with another NMI Alumnus, Luke D’Agostino, who works full-time as a freelance photographer. Luke became my mentor for a season and taught me so much about graduation photography. I still keep in-contact with both of them and always run my photography questions by them.
In a full circle moment, I had The Backpack Project, as my client for my capstone class. I’ve been involved with organizations helping those experiencing homelessness here in athens since I was a freshmen. It was truly a highlight of my New Media journey. During the semester long project, we created a website template for the new chapters of The Backpack Project to use and expand their impact to new cities. I learned so much as project manager doing things like managing all communications with the client, delegating tasks based on each members abilities, and tracking progress though post meeting notes and to-do lists.
I’ve improved so much, but I still get so excited when I finish a project. I always send it to my friends and family and show them how excited I am that I created this! I simply don’t do that for many classes. As an advertising major who thought computer science and UI design were way out of my league, the NMI has made those very skills tangible to me. One of the things I love about advertising is that it is always seeking to use innovative technologies to reach its consumers, and now I feel as though I can help with that. NMI taught me the basics of many technical skills, but it also gave me the confidence to figure out how to learn new skills on my own.
lastly the NMI really connected me to UGA in way not much else did. I became very close with not only my classmates, but with many of the professors as well. The certificate was a lot of work, but thoroughly worth it!
2. Individual Course Summaries
here I have listed my NMI courses with my most recently completed classes at the top.
NMIX 4110: New Media Production
In NMIX 4110, I learned the basics of coding like HTML and CSS with integrations such as bootstrap and WordPress. In the beginning I learned how to create files in an organized way and upload files to a server. Later, I developed complex extensible sites powered by a content management system (aka WordPress), and I even learned a little bit of programming like Javascript.
Over the course of the semester I was able to complete many projects where I got to build different kinds of websites with different purposes and integrations. It really enhanced my love for innovation and self-improvement because it taught me where I should look to solve problems. It taught me the importance of being detail-orientated by doing things like organizing files and maintaining a user-friendly web design. I started to feel so cool when I sent my first baby website to my family and said “look! I coded this by hand!” Check it out here.
It was very refreshing to tackle something completely new and foreign while also achieving success in it at the same time. Looking back at where I started this class without any knowledge of coding languages or how building the most basic of websites worked compared to where I am now is simply astonishing to me. It was a “WOW!” moment for me when I finished coding my first bootstrap website with my own custom CSS to tailor it to my liking (check it out here).
I simply did not expect to learn as much as I did in this class and to have a functioning website to show future employers is so cool. As my final project I created my own website for my photography business that integrates Google Analytics as well as a few other neat plugins like WP Forms and NextGen Galleries. I am so. proud. of. it. Check it out here!
While there were times when I thought about throwing my computer out of a window, I ultimately have learned incredibly valuable skills. Starting to learn javascript is definitely a challenge for me as the functions and iterations are complicated, but I am confident that continuing to practice it will allow me to learn it as I have the skills I’ve learned up to this point.
NMIX 4110: New Media Production
In NMIX 4220, New Media Industries, I really sharpened my professional and interpersonal skills. I not only has the chance to speak with many professionals in Advertising, UX design, Freelance and Social Media, but I also worked on projects to prepare me for adulthood!
A few of my biggest takeaways from the Speakers are:
- Know what skills your dream jobs require and seek them out! Because of that I am, I am currently learning Hootsuite, a standard of the advertising industry for social media management.
- Don’t be afraid to reach out, ask questions, and try new things. Especially in the world of Freelance. Since I have a photography business, this piece of advice was very useful and my mentor who spoke at our class, Luke D’Agostino, shared some invaluable advice about making sure you have people in your life you support you!
- Lastly, I learned the importance of always carrying a business card and being comfortable selling yourself to possible future employers. Having a face to face interaction and connection can take you very far in life.
Check out a few of the projects I worked on in this class below:
For my an assessment of my Digital Identity, Click below!
For my an RSS feed of relevant blogs/websites I personally curated, Click below!
NMIX 4200: Creative Content for Collegiate Athletics
In NMIX 4200, I took a deep dive into the world of collegiate and professional athletics. My professor, Jen Galas, who runs most of UGA’s social media for sports, taught the class and shared all her valuable experience and wisdom about the industry. We also had numerous speakers come and share their professions from people at The College Football Playoff National Championship to Auburn Basketball to The Atlanta Hawks to Twitter sports collaborations and many others.
My team and I created a semester long project where we were tasked with coming up with a comprehensive social media plan for the UGA Men’s Tennis team. We created a vision board, content calendar, a few graphic mock-ups, recommendations based off some analytics and more. Please click below to view it!
NMIX 4410: New Media Capstone
In NMIX 4410: New Media Capstone, I worked as the project manager for our semester long project. I managed a group of 4 amazing women and together we we able to created an awesome solution for our client, The Backpack Project.
We worked alongside The Backpack Project, a non-profit organization based here in Athens, GA, whose mission it is to ease the burden of homelessness. They mainly do this by providing those experience homelessness with resources, specifically backpacks filled with essential goods.
The organization is expanding to new cities and asked for a user-friendly website template each chapter could use to post about their projects, updates, and events. Therefore, crafting a personalizable Wix template that each chapter can have and personalize was the best option. The template goes hand-in-hand with a how-to guide holding branding information and tutorials on using Wix features, so they can update their website and make it as on-brand as possible.
We first did a website audit of their current website using methods like card sorting, interviews, and looking at the internal analytics on the website. We then created an updated version of their website with easy fill-in-the-blank options for new chapters to fill out to customize their needs.
Check out this website to see what we worked on in depth! It was truly a highlight of my New Media journey. I learned so much as project manager doing things like managing all communications with the client, delegating tasks based on each members abilities, and tracking progress though post meeting notes and to-do lists. It was also a full circle moment for me because I’ve been involved with organizations helping those experiencing homelessness here in athens since I was a freshmen.
3. Featured Projects
My Photography Website!