You might think of second year Graphic Design student Matt Pardini, Associated Students of Woodbury University (ASWU) Vice President of Marketing, as the reigning king of swag.
While “swag maven” is already within the Marketing VP’s charge, it’s also a natural side hustle for Matt, a creative sort who says he was drawn to the communicative aspects of Graphic Design, qualities that enable him “to speak without words.”
“I’ve always been creative, but never had the natural ability to create physical art quite worth mentioning, so going digital seemed the way to go,” says Matt, a product of Fresno’s San Joaquin Memorial High. Having grown up in smaller schools, Woodbury was in his comfort zone from day one. “I was especially impressed with how dedicated the university seemed to be in getting students the education and experience they need to get a job,” he says, “and the Southern California area provides great exposure to the field I want to pursue.”
Matt describes his Graphic Design 2 final critique as akin to a rite of passage. “Having my semester-long project finally out and finished and being judged by people in my field was humbling, but it’s actually something I look forward to experiencing more of in the future,” he says.
Within the ASWU leadership group, Matt’s the go-to guy for anyone who wants to promote, or attend/enjoy, an on-campus event. “I create swag, design flyers, run social media accounts, etc. — pretty much anything the student body sees, I have a hand in some way,” he explains. “It’s remarkable how much effort goes into developing and executing the activities around campus. Whether from the ASWU board or from any other organization on campus, making days at Woodbury fun actually takes a lot of hard work.”
Matt doesn’t live by academics and ASWU alone; he’s an active member of the fraternity Delta Sigma Phi. “Having a group of people to keep me motivated and challenge me to be better has helped me be as successful as I’ve been so far,” he explains. ”I cannot stress enough how important it is to try to be a part of something else on campus. I’ve gained so much by learning what it takes to work as a team, and work for something that won’t always be about you, but rather the betterment of others.”