When Jenn Nguyen ’25 came to Moore College of Art & Design from a suburban town in Florida, they were still deciding between careers in art and STEM. Choosing Moore—one of only two art schools on their list—turned out to be a transformative decision.
Nguyen credits Moore’s Graphic Design curriculum, city environment and supportive community with helping them develop both artistically and professionally. That growth was especially clear during their required internship, which they completed through an opportunity with Philadelphia radio station WXPN.
At WXPN, Nguyen worked on a design team to create branding and merchandise for events, signage and graphics for a music festival and materials for fundraising campaigns. Seeing their designs come to life in public spaces was a confidence booster for Nguyen.
“It felt like, wow, this work that I’m making isn’t only on a screen. It’s being consumed by real people, in person and online,” they said. “It made me feel a lot better about my work. My supervisor assigned me those projects because they believed in my abilities.”
Beyond building a strong design portfolio, Nguyen gained essential workplace skills—like communication, collaboration and professional adaptability—that can only be developed in real-world settings.
“Being able to talk through my process and explain my decisions is something I learned to do, and I can apply it to things like interviews in the future,” they said. “Learning how to interact in a professional setting and observing how people work together were big takeaways.”
After graduation, Nguyen hopes to continue building their experience through a junior designer or apprenticeship position. They feel well-prepared thanks to Moore’s focus on career readiness, peer feedback and diverse coursework.
“Taking a variety of classes during my foundation year helped me understand graphic design better,” they said. “The critique culture at Moore is so helpful—it’s all about growing, not tearing people down.”
For current students, Nguyen recommends keeping an open mind when searching for internships and making the most of networking opportunities.
“It never hurts to reach out to someone, ask questions and learn from others. Building that community of support and mentorship is so important,” they said.
Now an alum of Moore, Nguyen hopes to stay connected to the College and give back as a mentor in the graphic design community—just as others have mentored them.
“Believing in yourself is hard sometimes,” they said. “But when other people support you and point out what you’re excelling at, it can really help.”
Moore College of Art & Design is the only independent art and design college in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Want to learn more about the Graphic Design major at Moore? Contact our Admissions team at enroll@moore.edu or 215.965.4015 to set up a call or a campus visit. We'd love to tell you more!
