Imagine navigating the streets of Manhattan on a perfect autumn day, strolling from one hotshot advertising agency to the next, whizzing past security because you’re with Very Important People — art directors and graphic designers who work in the job of your dreams, all eager to share their insights, experience and advice in hopes that you, too, may someday open doors for students to follow.

For almost three decades, the University of Delaware’s Visual Communications (VC) program has brought current undergraduates, mostly juniors and seniors, to some of NYC's top design firms, where they meet and interact with dozens of prominent alumni.

Leaving Old College around 6:30 a.m., students spend a full day in the city, touring agencies, meeting Blue Hens and building their professional network well before graduation. And because love and loyalty for the VC program run so deep, it is not uncommon for alumni to return to campus to advise and mentor current students. This unique exchange is a hallmark of UD and the natural extension of a discipline where “who you know” relies primarily on talent.  

“A UD alumnus means that person has passed through the gauntlet, that their foundation is one of hard work, accountability and creativity,” said Larry Pipitone. Shortly after graduating in 2008, he and fellow Blue Hens Eric Collins and Joey Ellis co-founded Grand Army, a design firm that has done work for Nike, Beyoncé, Mountain Dew and Justin Timberlake. “The intensity of UD’s program mirrors the reality of this business. Just as this is a talent-based industry, VC is a talent-based program.”

It’s the kind of program “where you can get someone in a high place to pick up the phone,” Pipitone added. It’s how he got his first internship at Wieden+Kennedy, one of the largest advertising agencies in the world. Or how alumna Jessie Harte landed her first internship at Vogue.

“But I had to rebuild my entire portfolio before Bill [Deering, longtime director of the VC program] would even let me email the alum who worked at the publication,” she recalled.

Other professors involved in the program include Martha Carothers, Colette Gaiter, Robyn Pendleton, Ashley Pigford and Dave Brinley.

“It’s all about strengthening portfolios and strengthening networks,” said Deering, who leads winter session trips to London and Paris, where the “New York day-trip” model is replicated over a month, with a focus on global brands and businesses.

“I’m competitive,” Deering said. “I like to win, and when our students land great internships and jobs, we all win.”