{"id":34198,"date":"2026-07-17T12:26:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T19:26:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/?p=34198"},"modified":"2026-07-17T12:27:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T19:27:01","slug":"seizing-opportunities-for-real-world-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/17\/seizing-opportunities-for-real-world-experience","title":{"rendered":"Seizing opportunities for real-world experience\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At the University of Washington Bothell, students have\u202fample opportunity\u202fto apply what they\u202flearn to real-world settings and gain the skills\u202fand experience they need for their future careers. Some students apply their learning to on-campus jobs, while some get experience through internships with industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there are those, such as Joseph Gacula, who seize both opportunities to expand their portfolio and jumpstart their careers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a senior majoring in Media & Communication Studies and\u202fin\u202fApplied Computing, with a minor in Visual & Media Arts, Gacula is a passionate multihyphenate. His interests range from graphic design and filmmaking to game development and programming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing his passions have in common is the reality that the best way to learn how to do them is often by, simply,\u202fdoing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gacula\u00a0has\u202fset out to do just that\u00a0during his\u202ftime\u202fat UW Bothell\u00a0\u2014 from leading the Student Marketing & Design team on campus to his role as a communications intern for\u202fKing County Parks.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"A\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"A\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n
Right: The 2025-2026 Student Marketing & Design team. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Uplifting campus voices<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gacula started picking up many of his video and graphic skills in high school. His classes at UW Bothell then helped him put them all together to make a more finished product from beginning to end \u2014 from filming to making the final video edits, for example. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When he saw that the Student Marketing & Design team offered a means for him to share his\u202fnew\u202fskills with his peers, he jumped at the chance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe primary purpose of the\u202fStudent\u202fMarketing & Design team is to uplift the voices on our campus \u2014 whether that\u2019s an individual, a club or other group,\u201d he said. \u201cI try to get as involved with the campus community as possible, so leading this team has been a really great experience for me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Situated within UW Bothell\u2019s Student Engagement & Activities, the student-led team offers free creative services such as logo and poster design to promote campus club activities,\u202fvideo\u202fand photography to capture events, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s a great opportunity for students like me who\u202fare wanting\u202fto further their\u202fexperience in any type of media production,\u201d Gacula said. \u201cI\u2019ve made a lot of pieces that I can put in my portfolio.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When applying for an internship with King County, he included several of these pieces. \u201cOne of the things I attached was a promotion video that I made for\u202fUWave\u202fRadio,\u201d he said. \u201cI put a lot of time and\u202fediting\u202finto that video.\u202fIt\u2019s\u202fone of my favorite things\u202fI\u2019ve\u202fmade so far, and I think\u202fit\u2019s\u202fpart of the\u202freason why\u202fI got the job.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\"Children\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"A\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n
Local park openings and events as photographed by Joseph Gacula.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Chomping at the bit<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In January, Gacula found the posting for the King County internship on Handshake\u202f\u2014 the\u202fUW\u2019s\u202fonline job and internship database\u202f\u2014\u202fand was drawn to the opportunity to continue doing the same work he loves while also getting outdoors and meeting other people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe internship turned out to be almost exactly the same responsibilities I had on the Marketing & Design team, just at a higher level,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s been the best way to get more experience, just being in the field.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of his favorite projects so far have included designing tickets for an upcoming food festival event,\u202fCHOMP!,\u202fand doing photo and video work for multiple park openings \u2014 including filming himself putting\u202fa\u202fsalmon in the water at the Des Moines Creek Park in SeaTac at\u202fits\u202fMay opening.\u202fHe has\u202falso learned new skills in content management for the\u202fpark\u2019s\u202fwebsite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe park openings have definitely been my favorite,\u201d Gacula said. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of the best of both worlds, getting out there, having fun and then practicing my technical skills editing the final video when I have time at home.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His work outside the classroom has influenced his coursework \u2014 and vice versa \u2014 giving him a well-rounded breadth of learning and expertise from which to launch his career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy college experience in general has really prepared me to work in the real world. Each project and role\u202fhas\u202ftaught me a new skill,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of like each one of my college years have fed into my skill set at the moment, which is really cool to see.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“My college experience in general has really prepared me to work in the real world. Each project and role\u202fhas\u202ftaught me a new skill.\u202f”<\/p>Joseph Gacula, senior, Media & Communication Studies and Applied Computing\u00a0<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Never giving up<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gacula\u2019s internship is slated to go through the end of December, and he plans to graduate in spring 2027. His goal is to work in communications or user experience design. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His advice to his peers who are seeking opportunities for real-world experience is to not give up on looking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt may take\u202fa\u202fwhile, but if you keep at it eventually you will find something that suits you. And in the meantime, it never hurts to boost your chances by working on your technical skills.\u202fThere\u2019s\u202fsomething out there for everyone.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Joseph Gacula\u202fputs his skills to work as lead for the Student Marketing & Design Team and as a communications intern for King County.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":34199,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[202,200,204],"tags":[],"school":[419],"class_list":["post-34198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-news","category-profiles","category-students","school-school-of-ias"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":"","link_2":"","link_3":"","link_4":"","link_5":""},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":"","button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"\nSeizing opportunities for real-world experience\u00a0 - 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