By Annie Steinfelt ’24, editor
Matt Guarini, a digital communications (DCOM) major with a concentration in design, has been using his digital design talents and passion for 3D printing to enhance his college experience since day one.
Upon touring LVC’s MakerSpace for the first time four years ago, Guarini was instantly drawn to the DCOM major, and has spent many hours in the MakerSpace ever since.
“I have always been super into digital design, video editing and product design,” he said. “You can’t exactly get a perfect sense of how a class will go at any college you tour, but getting to see the tools used in the MakerSpace was what sold me on LVC. Other colleges I visited had really limited communications majors in comparison to DCOM, which spans a lot of skills early on and lets you choose a concentration halfway through.”
Guarini claims that he was an awkward teenager with little direction as to what he wanted to do when he first came into college. It wasn’t until the end of his sophomore year when he was assigned to lead LVC’s Visioneers club—which explores different aspects of technology through projects and workshops—that his hopes to someday work professionally in a MakerSpace were realized.
“I didn’t really want to be at the helm of a club because I didn’t think I could be a leader, but that changed once COVID restrictions cleared up and I started to hold regular meetings last year,” he said. “Being able to foster a relaxed, educational environment focusing on design became the thing I look forward to most every week.”
Alongside his dedication to Visioneers, Guarini is a board member for LVC’s LGBTQ club, Freedom Rings, is the house head of the on-campus LGBTQ house and works on the promotions team for the Design, Media & Technology department, where he helps generate content for the department social media and website.
He also interned at the Suzanne H. Arnold Art Gallery during his junior year, helping to set up exhibits, advertise them with flyers and social media and even producing a documentary video for the gallery’s YouTube channel.
These extracurricular activities and job and internship opportunities have shown Guarini how the skills he learned in his major can apply in almost any business, as there is a need for communications in any field of work.
And the hobbies and interests that have helped to shape his experience at LVC will not be diminished once he receives his degree. He plans to keep expanding his work and exploring new technologies in his spare time in the future.
“I already own two printers at home, and it is so enjoyable to tinker with them and watch my designs come to life from a spool of plastic filament,” he said.
In the meantime, his post-graduation plan is still in progress, as he is currently updating his portfolio and resume and will start hunting for design-oriented jobs soon.