Mekaila Stefano ’19 works as a graphic designer at Walt Disney World.

My work

My team creates guest-facing collateral to support Disney parks and resorts. This includes everything from in-park guidemaps to resort wayfinders, event and party maps, festival passports, stickers, and signage. Some specific project highlights include guidemaps for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, EPCOT festival passports, Disney Vacation Club collateral, runDisney collateral, Cool Kid Summer and Fun for Families with Kids guides, in-park & resort signage, and park stickers!

Why Eastern

I chose Eastern initially for its location — it was the perfect distance from home! At the time, I hadn’t done extensive research and even applied as “undecided” before exploring New Media Studies and ultimately finding my place in graphic design. What ended up surprising me was the level of mentorship and support woven into the Eastern experience. That foundation gave me the flexibility and confidence to discover my path at my own pace. Along the way, opportunities to engage more deeply within my program and in the broader Eastern community helped me grow and feel invested in my own development. Some of my most meaningful experiences came from seemingly small opportunities: note-taking for classmates, working an on-campus job, volunteering locally, and completing my senior mentorship project (I built a website for the kind and talented Rob Greene) — each one left a lasting impression and played a role in shaping who I am today!

Special faculty mentor

Without question Professor Lora Lee was an incredibly important mentor to me. She is an engaging, talented, and deeply supportive professor. As my very first graphic design instructor she inspired me to switch my major and fully pursue graphic design as a career. She even recommended me for my first post-graduate job, which launched my professional graphic design career and sustained me throughout the challenges of COVID. She also wrote a thoughtful recommendation letter that led to my admission to graduate school. I truly would not be where I am today without her guidance and passion for design!

I also loved my experience working for Sheila RuJoub at the FAIC events office! She took me under her wing and trusted me to design print and digital materials for Music and Theater events at Eastern, going out of her way to give me opportunities to expand my portfolio. Her kindness and willingness to share her creative and technical expertise made her an instrumental part of my Eastern story!

Applied skills from Eastern

Eastern gave me the foundation which I built my graphic design skillset from. One of the most valuable things for me was when my university courses facilitated collaborations with actual clients. I found this practice incredibly motivating (as these were real projects with real-world reach and stakes) and it helped me understand the technical and communication skills needed to operate as a professional graphic designer!