Photo by Juan Posada
Continuing our series on Summer internships, we checked in with Product student Zoe Xiong, who interned at TOMS this past summer. Headquartered in Los Angeles, TOMS, the name derived from the words “Tomorrow’s Shoe,” was founded in 2006 with the promise of delivering one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair of shoes sold. The company has since launched other products including eyewear, coffee, bags and backpacks. Zoe was TOMS’ first ArtCenter intern.
ArtCenter News: Can you tell us a little about TOMS and its internship program?
Zoe Xiong: TOMS’ mission is to be in business to improve lives by giving back to people and the community. The company is still small so when you’re an intern here you have the advantage of learning about all aspects of the business, such as marketing, merchandising and branding.
AN: How did you get your internship?
ZX: I found the internship through Linkedin, which is a great resource for someone looking for internship opportunities. I was selected because of the strength of my student projects—they demonstrated that I had the skills, developed over my first five terms at ArtCenter, needed to get the job done.
AN: How does this internship fit in the grand scheme of the career path that you want to craft for yourself?
ZX: My goal is to become a well-rounded soft goods and wearables designer. I’ve only had one internship before this which was in the performance sportswear field. To balance that out I decided to come here to TOMS which is more focused on go-to-market products and designs.
“We are always pleased to hear a student is the first ArtCenter intern at a company,” says Amanda Webb, director of ArtCenter’s Career and Professional Development Department (CPD), “and we’re excited about our new partnership with TOMS.”
CPD supports students interested in interning by offering resources, best practices information and tools to ensure they take full advantage of their internship opportunities wherever they are found—through ArtCenter Connect, networking, approaching a company directly, or, as in this case, LinkedIn. Although the office provides resources to help all students throughout their internship experience, if a student wants to receive academic credit, they must register their internship with CPD by Week 1 of their internship term. For more information about internships and how to get one, stop in at the Career and Professional Development (CPD) office or visit artcentercpd.com/internships.
