By Richard Zagrzecki
It didn’t take long for Asa Snell to find a student worker job at the University of Houston.
Snell, a freshman majoring in computer information systems, found out about an open graphic designer position in UH Dining Services over the summer and applied for it. He was called in for an interview and soon was offered the job – all before the fall semester even got started.
By the end of the first week of classes, he was already on the clock, engulfed in learning his new job duties. Now, three months later, he’s helped create a whole host of materials, ranging from fliers and brochures to digital screen displays.
He is appreciative of the opportunity and experience.
“Working here has given me a new perspective on just how many people are involved in making a project a success,” said Snell, who is a graduate of Kingwood High School. “It’s not just one or two people involved in an assignment. There is a team of people who play a role. That has given me a better understanding of what it takes to see a project through to its completion.”
Snell came into the job already with some real-world experience, thanks to a program he was enrolled in his freshman and sophomore years in high school. At that time, he and his family were living in Kansas, and his school offered a program that allowed students to develop their interest in various fields incorporating real-world experiences. Snell was enrolled in the web designer program, which included assisting actual businesses with their websites.
“Not only was I learning the coding for building websites, I was acquiring graphic design skills, which is another key component to web development,” he said.
Snell, whose father, Curtis, previously worked in UH Dining as the senior human resources manager, is glad he chose to attend UH. His decision came down to two factors: he was offered an academic scholarship by UH, and his family home is within driving distance to campus.
He has always had an interest in computers, but what many people may not know about him is he likes to beat box. He also played percussion in his high school band.
Snell hopes to use his education at UH to springboard into a career in cyber/information security or software engineering and development.
He is the first person in his family to attend UH. In the few short months he has been here, he has learned to appreciate the diversity of the student body.
“I enjoy seeing the interactions around campus between people of different backgrounds and seeing how all the different cultures play out with each other,” he said.