On October 2nd, nine upperclassmen Graphic Communications students, along with Dr. Weiss and Dr. Weisenmiller, departed Clemson and traveled up to Chicago for Print19 (https://www.printtechnologies.org/PRINT19/). For many years, the Department of Graphic Communications has had a presence at Print19, but this year was a little bit more special; it was the last year the conference would be held at McCormick Place. Another special part of the trip: it was the first time visiting Chicago for all nine students.
The purpose of the trip was to learn about the trends in the print industry and represent the university at the GC booth. GC student Mandy Vongsiraksa describes her experience as, “a great opportunity for me to meet people in the industry and to get to know others in my class. We had the opportunity to speak to representatives from big name companies as well as small ones to learn about what they had to offer and the innovations in printing. My favorite company that I spoke to was Koenig & Bauer because some of the samples they had shown had really neat effects created through flexo printing. The reps also shared their tips and advice to us graduating seniors who will soon be entering the workforce.”
In addition to networking with companies by visiting their booths, it was also a responsibility of the students to take shifts at the GC booth located in the university section. At the booth, we were able to chat with students and industry professionals about the program we have at Clemson. GC student Kristin Watson said that her favorite part about working the booth was, “being able to talk with high school students that were looking at college Graphic Communications programs. Many of them had already learned the foundations of screen printing, flexography, and lithography in their high school courses, which is rare to get that exposure before going to college.” There were also a wide variety of industry professionals that were looking to hire for full-time roles, and some companies looking to be a part of our internship program. We loved being able to brag on our curriculum, as well as the internship program and share how valuable it has been for us.
Our entire group is extremely grateful to the department for giving us the opportunity of a lifetime. This was a unique experience for us to be in the city of Chicago for the first time, and attend a conference about all the exciting new things in print. This was yet another opportunity we gained from Clemson Graphic Communications that will aid us in landing a post-grad job in the industry, all the while representing the university and GC department!
