An internship is defined as a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting.

The Red Orange team recently reinvented our HBCU internship program and relaunched a new curriculum and structure designed to better serve emerging creatives. Senior Designer Alison Robertson Demeri spearheaded the initiative by conducting research and crafting an entirely new program with a holistic approach that combines curricular and extracurricular experiences with professional development opportunities through a detailed syllabus. The program aligns with the hours equivalent for full course credit and offers a weekly monetary stipend. Research shows that students with paid internships receive 50% more job offers than those with unpaid internships or none at all.

In fall 2023, we welcomed Tamia Davis, a graphic design student at Virginia State University, as our newest intern! Tamia completed an accelerated version of the Red Orange program while balancing two internships during the semester.

“I have deepest gratitude for the incredible opportunity to be part of this amazing team. These past few months have been an invaluable learning experience, and one that I will always treasure.”

– Tamia Davis

Tamia worked on a number of projects during her time at Red Orange, including internal social media graphics and print design layout. She problem-solved on client projects by providing email graphics and sourcing photography according to the client’s brand standards.

By encouraging student interns to shadow client meetings and be a part of real-world projects from start to finish, we provide them with unique experiences that will help them build career relationships while developing important design and critical thinking skills.

We are proud to offer an internship program with an agenda developed to benefit the students. Our ultimate goal is for them to walk away with a breadth of knowledge from our ‘crash-course’ on all things brand and marketing, and be well-equipped for their career path post-graduation. We have been fortunate to hire one of our previous interns after graduation — Red Orange Junior Designer, Lauryn Fauntroy, who joined the team in 2022.

Learn more about our HBCU Internship Program here.