After graduating from Hamilton High School in 2019, Grant Wayner went on to Indiana Wesleyan University to study Visual Communications with a focus on Graphic Design.
During his time in high school, he was heavily involved in the 'Covering Hawkeye Sports' class with Mark Behnke and also took the Photoshop class offered by Mr. Morrison. He has taken all of that experience with him into college as he continues to chase his big dreams.
"My dream job is to become a creative director for a major sports organization," Wayner said. "I began sports design when I was 11 years old; I would say I figured out what I wanted to do by the time I was a freshman in high school."
And Wayner is already well on his way to achieving his goal. During his sophomore year at IWU, he didn't have to look far for an internship opportunity.
"The [Los Angeles] Chargers contacted me after finding my portfolio on Behance, which is a social media site for artists," Wayner added. "They were looking for interns for the upcoming season and asked if I was interested in applying. After multiple interviews, I landed a 3-month internship, which has now lasted over a year and a half."
As a "Seasonal Graphic Designer", Wayner works full-time during the summers and roughly 20-25 hours a week during the school year.
"As a designer, I am responsible for creating graphics for both digital and print. Digital includes things such as social media, display ads, email, the Chargers website, SoFi Stadium video boards, etc. Design for print includes: invitations, banners, signs, backdrops, posters, credentials, and much more. I've loved my job with the Chargers, the large variety in work is refreshing and it's been an awesome experience. I've learned so much and developed relationships with some incredible people."
Wayner looks back at his time at Hamilton High School very fondly and says a lot of his experiences have helped him get to where he is today.
"Hamilton helped me prepare most by offering the Career-Line Tech Center as an option. I spent my junior and senior year there taking classes in graphic design and printing. That opportunity helped me focus on what I wanted to do and gave me a head-start going into college. My best memories of high school come from playing tennis. I started tennis my freshman year and was blessed to have great teammates all four years, as well as a great head coach in Steve Lubbers. Hamilton tennis was always competitive and prepared me to play here at Indiana Wesleyan," he added.
As for advice for current Hamilton students, Wayner offered this...
"The best advice I can give for current students is simply to do something you love. I wouldn't be where I am today if I wasn't passionate about both sports and design. You spend most of your life working, find a career that you enjoy doing."
Keep up the great work, Grant! Hamilton is proud of you!
You can find more of Grant's Graphic Design work on his online profile.
