COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State Department of Athletics has partnered with Adobe to provide a unique educational series for student-athletes to help maximize their name, image and likeness through an enhanced personal brand.
The program is called the Adobe Creator Challenge and its goal is to create a space for student-athletes to learn how to better understand their personal brand and then how to visually present their brand using Adobe’s industry-leading creative technology. The program not only allowed student-athletes to further develop their brand but also to develop skills that can be used throughout their career.
As part of the Adobe Creator Challenge program, student-athletes attended bi-weekly sessions during the spring semester. Each session covered a different topic focused on building their personal brand using Adobe applications such as Adobe Express.
At the end of the series, each student-athlete shared their final personal branding portfolio that they created using Adobe tools, showcasing their story, highlighting their personal brand and a plan for implementation.
“The Adobe Creator Challenge program has helped me grow as a graphic designer and given me an outlet to use my creativity for something that I’m passionate about,” Blake Skilken, a freshmen diver, said. “It has given me an opportunity that will set me up for my future and for that, I’m forever grateful!”
Following the presentation, six student-athletes were chosen to visit the Adobe office in New York City, for a weeklong micro-internship, from May 7-12. The student-athletes chosen were Yeva Mazur (fencing), Megan Murphy (rowing), Miriam Perez (women’s gymnastics), Jadon Roberson (men’s gymnastics), Blake Skilken (diving) and Morgan Zahner (rowing).
“The Adobe Creator Challenge program embodies everything the Eugene D. Smith Leadership Institute stands for, and truly prepares student-athletes for success both for today, and in life after graduation,” Makena Lynch, assistant director, student-athlete development & operational strategy said. “By learning how to enhance their personal brand, student-athletes are uniquely positioned to maximize their name, image, and likeness. Further, the micro-internship and support from Adobe provided an incredible opportunity to prepare for the future, as the student-athletes networked with executives and learned business skills that set the foundation for a successful career. We are grateful for the Adobe team and their willingness to help our student-athletes through this incredible series.”
“We were thrilled to team up with Ohio State in the Adobe Creator Challenge program. Our goal is to empower student-athletes to explore and develop their creativity skills, brand awareness and story-telling talents through unique sessions designed to help them be the best version of themselves both on and off the competitive field,” Cheryl Turja, senior director global education sales, Adobe said. “We know that creativity is everywhere, and we aim to meet the student where they are on their creative journey — on the field, on the court, in the pool, or in the classroom.”
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