Did you know that Scott Rice recently welcomed two new interns? Addison and Jenna joined our team about three weeks ago from the Blue Valley CAPS program. Here’s a little bit about them.
Addison Oppliger
My earliest passion as a child was drawing. When I was young, my sketches were silly, usually composed of spaceships and jet-packs. Not only did I draw what I could with my abilities, but also what interested me as a third grader. My family has a deep history in the arts. As the owner of Jacoby Art Glass Company, my great-grandfather, Oliver Oppliger, instilled a deep love of the arts in my grandfather who in turn passed this onto my father. In my dad’s role as Technical Director at VML, one of the worlds largest digital agencies, he exposed me to the creative process used to build digital properties for some of the worlds largest brands. It comes as no surprise that art runs through my blood. As I grew up, I began blending my art with technology such as digital photography and computers. In high school I had the opportunity to explore many different career ideas such as engineering and photography. While I enjoyed both of these, I always found myself gravitating back to graphic design as the perfect blend of technology and art.
I have submitted some of my artwork, both photography and graphic design, in the Scholastic Art and Writing awards and received honorable mentions. Starting my junior year, I attended Digital Design and Photography, a class offered at The Blue Valley Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS). Through CAPS I have been exposed to a unique experience unlike traditional high school classes. I have been able to work hand in hand with CEO’s of companies to design and create their brands. As a part of this process, I have had the opportunity to pitch ideas, present to large groups, and participate in regular peer critique sessions. This experience is continuing to grow through my internship at Scott Rice Office Works.
Click here to view Addison’s portfolio
Jenna Felsen
To understand how I was able to work at Scott Rice as a Junior, one must understand how the Blue Valley CAPS program is structured.
Blue Valley Schools’ Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) is a nationally recognized, innovative high school program where students spend 2.5 hours per day outside of their home high school by learning about the professional field they are interested in. Students fast forward into their future and are fully immersed in a professional culture, solving real world problems, using industry standard tools and are mentored by actual employers and businesses, all while receiving dual high school and college credit. CAPS is an example of how business, community and public education can partner to produce personalized learning experiences that educate the workforce of tomorrow, especially in high skill, high demand jobs of today.
When I first came to CAPS, I expected nothing but learning more about design and having a fun time. Being interested in the design field, I knew I wanted to be a graphic designer. I’m always open to learning new things and I really enjoy working with others. I am inspired by the people I surround myself with: designers, friends, family, mentors, and local design work from companies. Through the course of 6 months at BV CAPS, I ended up a much better designer than I imagined and I had worked on many high profile projects such as Kansas City Startup Weekend EDU and Innovation Celebration. In January, I was presented with an internship opportunity at Scott Rice Office Works and I knew that I had to apply. Not only has this internship been a great learning experience, it has given me the knowledge to apply myself in any professional setting. I am so grateful to CAPS and Scott Rice for giving me this opportunity as a Junior in high school. I have just started getting my feet wet in college research and plan on continuing down the road of graphic design as either a design or business major.