Graphic Design Major’s Impressive Portfolio Leads to Position at Design Firm

Sophie Speliopoulos ’23, a Graphic Design Communication major and Marketing and American Sign Language double minor, finished her degree in December and has been working as a graphic designer/production artist at 3thought in Plymouth, Mass.  

Portfolio Wows Employers: “In my current job, I’m using a lot of the skills I learned at Roger, and my employer was really impressed with my portfolio. That’s one of the reasons I got an interview and ultimately the position. I had materials from when I worked with the National Student Advertising Competition team in the spring of 2022 as well as my honors capstone project where I created an online resource to educate people about the deaf community and ASL.”   

The Value of Interdisciplinary Studies: “One of the reasons I applied to Roger is I wanted to go somewhere interdisciplinary. I knew I wanted to study Graphic Design, but I wanted to do Marketing, too. I didn’t want to go to art school. Graphic Design and Marketing very much complemented each other. I thought it would be helpful to know both, and it definitely is.”  

Learning Outside the Classroom: “As the public relations chair for the Sexuality and Gender Alliance, I made all of our event fliers and banners. I would take Instagram posts and turn them into pamphlets – using the same ideas in different formats. I wouldn’t have as good of a portfolio if I wasn’t involved in NSAC and SAGA. It was the most hands-on, in-depth design work I got to do at Roger, which is really helpful for my job now.”  

Speliopoulos is from Granby, Conn.   

Every spring, as Commencement nears, RWU spotlights members of the graduating class. Suggestions are welcome. Email: stories@rwu.edu