Tell us a little about yourself and why you decided to become a TAGA student ambassador.

Hi, I'm Alice Ish, I'm a third-year graphic communication major with a minor in packaging. I grew up in the Seattle, Washington area. I decided to come to Cal Poly because graphic communication sounded like the perfect mix of studies for me. I decided to become a TAGA ambassador to get our school's chapter of TAGA more involved with the international conference and with other chapters around the country.

What has been your favorite part of your academic career so far?

My favorite part about my time here at Cal Poly so far is the number of opportunities offered in order to become more involved in our major and get hands-on experience in our industry. By far my favorite thing I've gotten to do is be an offset lab assistant, meaning I get to help the professor set-up, run, and clean our CD-74 Heidelberg press.

What skills have you gained from being a TAGA student member?

From being in TAGA I have gained so many valuable skills in teamwork and coordination. It takes a lot of ideas from a lot of people and a lot of organization to create our journal. To do so effectively takes communication between all parts of the club from design to production.

What's a typical day like at your school and when you're not in class, what can we find you doing?

A typical day for me at Cal Poly involves going to classes and meetings, sitting in the sun with friends and studying at my favorite spot called Front Porch (it has free coffee). On a weekend you can find me out exploring local hikes or at Avila beach boogie boarding on a nice day. During the winter I will be cozy on my couch watching New Girl.

How has being a TAGA student member shaped who you are as a person?

Being a member of TAGA has made me more confident in my ideas and my ability to lead a team. Sometimes you just have to jump in with confidence whether or not you really know what you're doing.

What's something you're passionate about?

I'm passionate about making connections everywhere I work and meeting people from all walks of life. This summer, I was an orientation leader for Cal Poly, and getting to meet and help acclimate new students from all over the country was amazing.

What makes your TAGA student chapter and its members unique?

I think what makes the Cal Poly chapter of TAGA unique comes from Cal Poly's motto "Learn By Doing" Everything we do is thought up by our team and produced by us in house, giving our members the opportunity to start doing work they may do in the future right away.

We're headed to oklahoma city for the 2020 TAGA Annual Technical Conference! What was your experience being a student attendee in past years?

Sadly, I wasn't able to attend the annual conference last year, but I'm so excited to be an attendee this year! I can't wait to meet people in our industry from all over the world and get to compete with the journal our chapter makes.

Lastly, if you could be a superhero, who would it be and why?

If I could be any superhero, I would be Jack-Jack from the Incredibles (aka the baby of the family). He has the most powers out of anyone and he's also a baby, so he just gets to hang out and have fun in both of the movies. Sounds good to me.