DIA Design Guild: Apprentice Program - April 2025
What’s on Julia’s mind these days?
This newsletter is a little behind schedule—thanks for your patience. We’ve got a fresh new cohort! Six new apprentices have joined us, along with one returning alum. And fun fact: four of them are based in the Los Angeles area. In-person meetups, anyone? (We’re already jealous of your sunshine.)
Speaking of seasons... It's technically spring. Here in New England, that means one day of 80-degree weather followed by light snow the next. But my cherry tree is blooming, so I’m calling it: spring is here. And with that, let’s talk about spring themes—cleaning, care, and learning.
1. Spring Cleaning (UX Edition)
Time to declutter—physically and mentally. What can you let go of that’s weighing you down? What needs refreshing? Maybe it’s an old file system, a half-finished case study, or the voice in your head telling you “not good enough.” Spring is a great time for new goals. Dust off a dream. Reorganize your portfolio. And please—document more than your visual deliverables. Capture your thought process, too. It might be time for a design journal or a digital idea album to track what’s been working for you.
2. Self-Care Reminder
At DIA, we’re big believers in self-care. Learning something new and pushing yourself can be rewarding—but also draining. A little daily care goes a long way. Even 10 minutes can make a difference. Whether it’s a walk, a nap, a breathing break, or just doing nothing—build it into your day.
3. Learn Something New (with Chocolate?)
Set a goal to explore something that excites you. And if you need a boost? ScienceDirect says dark chocolate might help with learning. It’s rich in polyphenols, which may increase blood flow to the brain and enhance cognitive function. So yes—study with snacks. We support it.
And lastly—share your spring! I’d love to see what spring looks like in your part of the world. Drop a photo or thought in the #general channel.
#1: 2025 Cohort Apprentice Program Specific News
- Ashley, Jerry, Akari, and Christine are working on a website redesign for Blueberri LLC.
- Beula, Linh, and Anthony are working on a redesign of the DIA website.
- Mo is working on her own app, MassageSpeak.
- Melody has an e-commerce volunteer project she is working on.
#2: Apprentice Wins and Celebrations
- Nothing yet! It’s the early days.
Share: Have any good news, life lessons, or need project help? Reply and let me know. I can share it in our next update.
#3: Job Opportunities
We’re always on the lookout for relevant entry-level roles to share with our apprentices. They’re usually shared on Discord under Discussion > #jobsearch-opps. If you come across any, let us know! We'll be sure to share them here for everyone else.
(short list of opportunities)
- UX Research Analyst & Writer at Baymard Institute (remote, full-time)
- UX/UI Designer at TPLink (Irvine, California, full-time)
- Product Design Intern at S&P Global (New York, New York; Cambridge, Massachusetts, full-time)
- Design Program Manager - Emerging Talent Intern at ServiceNow (remote, full-time)
#4: Project Announcements
It’s a new year, and time to start new things. Need to find a project? Check out these volunteering resources and find your next gig! We’ll highlight a few organizations in every newsletter where you can look through and find something that interests you.
- Taproot Foundation - https://taprootfoundation.org/volunteers/
- Forgood - https://www.forgood.org/
- Catchafire - https://www.catchafire.org/
Feedback wanted
Open rates are great, click through rates are alright. But how helpful is this newsletter really? Share with us why yet another newsletter was a good idea.
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As always, we’re around to chat. DM us on Discord, reply to this email/post or schedule some time on our calendars:
That's all for now!
