Sa-Shai Daniels' Portfolio

I interned with the Harambee Coffee Roasters Co-op in June of 2015. I helped them with their online presence by creating a website for them to enter information into. I also created a presentation about the progression of logo design over the years. I was given the opportunity to work with two college professors who are founders of the Harambee Roasters Coffee Co-op. The biggest challenge was creating a unified image for them. I knew what I wanted the website to look like once I learned that the goal of the coffee co-op was to help employ African immigrants. I wanted the website to be modern and vibrant and represent what I think African culture in America has transformed into.

The first part of the challenge was getting everyone involved with the image I had in mind. One of the things they were attached to was their logo. In 9th grade my art teacher, Ms. Montgomery, showed my class a presentation about how logos were becoming modernized. Newer logos are more and more simplified. At the time their logo involved a lot of different parts and it was a little all over the place. I decided to put together a presentation to show them how modern logos are evolving. It took a bit of convincing but they definitely heard what I had to say. It made me feel like I had really contributed to something real. For the first time I felt like I was doing something important. I overcame this challenge by doing my best to prove my point. I knew that what I had to say could contribute so I said it in a respectful way that would make them see from my point of view. I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited about a presentation because this time it was actually going to mean something.

The second challenge was putting together the actual website. Because of portfolios I’ve become fairly familiar with creating website layouts. The hard part was making something that worked with their business. There was a lot to consider. I had to think about what pages should be involved, what images should be used, what color scheme fit, and how to make the layout flow. I started by talking to Dr. Twe. I asked him a lot of questions about what things were important to him to have on the website. After taking some notes I was able to grasp what his vision was. My next task was to create a website with all of the things Dr. Twe wanted involved that also had the modern and vibrant feel that I thought fit the co-op. This challenge was easier to overcome than the last because I had someone to consult directly. Also, this was the fun part so none of it felt like work. Through this process I’ve found that it’s very helpful when there is someone to consult and bounce ideas off of. This internship really enforced for me the importance of collaboration.

I always knew that I was going to have to do an internship because that’s just what you do if you’re at STEM. I never realized that the internship would actually change me. I think one of the other things that was really cool was that I got the chance to work with a co-op that was new and on the rise. It made the experience more rewarding because I felt that what I was doing would really affect the future of the Harambee Coffee Roasters Co-op. I also was very inspired by the mission of the Harambee Coffee Co-op. My parents are African immigrants and so I felt very much attached to the cause. It has always been made clear to me that some people struggle more than others, and in America immigrants sometimes have to work twice as hard to be successful. It has also been made clear to me that everyone can make a difference. This is the part that I struggled with a bit more though. Sometimes it feels like there is nothing that you can do to help your people, but this was my opportunity to do it. I was more than happy to work with them even though it wasn’t directly within my interests. Originally I was looking for an internship that had to do with fashion (which I ended up doing later on that summer) but then I found out about this opportunity and even though it wasn’t ideal I was still really happy to be doing something for a cause that meant something to me.