For graphic design major and music minor Owen McDevitt, this past summer was less about clocking hours and more about making an impact. Splitting his time between two very different organizations—the Happy Hope Factory in Pocasset, MA, and the Falmouth Community Veterans Center (FCVC)—McDevitt discovered how design can serve as both a craft and a calling.
At Happy Hope Factory, a nonprofit that delivers care packages to children in hospitals and shelters across the country, McDevitt worked alongside a small in-house design team creating print and digital materials for events and campaigns. “I worked with Donna, one of two designers there,” he says. “She helped me learn how to work in a team environment and what it was like working with a client.”
His second internship at the Falmouth Community Veterans Center offered something different: autonomy. “They gave me more freedom,” McDevitt explains. “They wanted me to freshen up their image.” A project that McDevitt revised was Joe Q Coffee Break, a social initiative supporting veterans and their families. “I was tasked with redesigning the logo,” he says. “The concept came to me so easily, and that’s what got me excited to pursue this opportunity.”
Both experiences, he says, pushed his collaborative skills to a new level. “Though I’ve had group projects in the past, this put my collaborative skills to the test,” he says. “Happy Hope had more structure with specific goals in mind for each project. At FCVC, they would hand me ideas and I would complete them.”
McDevitt credits Merrimack for preparing him to handle that flexibility. “I could not have gotten these opportunities without my experience from school,” he says. “Happy Hope prints everything in-house, and I feel like it wouldn’t have been nearly as easy to learn how to use their machines if I didn’t have that experience at Merrimack.”
Still, not every lesson came easily. Adjusting to the workflow at Happy Hope was a challenge at first. “They tend to use stock and clip art in everything they do, and I just wanted to do it all from scratch,” McDevitt admits. “It taught me that sometimes you have to balance your personal style with the client’s brand and needs.”
Beyond design skills, the experience offered something more meaningful: connection. “There were a lot of older folks at both places,” he says. “If there’s one thing they love to do, it’s talk about the good old days…listening to the stories and hearing them talk about legacy I think is what made me feel welcome.”
That sense of purpose reshaped how McDevitt sees his future in design. “They both had one thing in common that had a big impact on me, and that was how they both helped people in need,” he says. “From sick children in need of kindness and affection, to retired veterans struggling financially or just in need of a friend. You get a sense of purpose working at places, like they know you made a difference in someone’s life. I would love to keep that up in the future.”
For students seeking internships, McDevitt’s advice is simple: start small and stay local. “Not just because it puts less pressure on you, but because you get a much more personal connection to it,” he says. “Before I left for school, I got a thank you card from Happy Hope, and the veterans said I’m welcome to stop by anytime to help out or hang out. Those connections are what last.”
