Magical internship

Oakland University Graphic Design student Jordan Hung began a one-year internship with Disney during her final semester before graduation. Hung’s internship went so well, she landed a full-time position at ESPN, which is owned by Disney, before she even completed the full year as an intern.

“I’m so excited,” said Hung, who starts at ESPN in November. “I feel like I never could have imagined getting a job like this so soon after graduation. I always dreamed of being able to work for an amazing company like ESPN.

“I played sports throughout high school and I was involved in club sports in college, so I’ve always had a passion for sports. Growing up with a dad that loved football, I’m a big football girl too. To even think about working on some NFL pieces is going to be shocking and so special for me. I’m really, really excited to work for ESPN, and knowing that I’ll still be under the Walt Disney Company is amazing.”

Hung's internship was in Florida and she worked primarily on internal pieces for the Disney parks. She will be moving to Connecticut, where ESPN’s world headquarters is located in Bristol.

“I will be a graphic designer and motion designer for all of Disney's streaming platforms, so ESPN, Disney+ and Hulu,” Hung said. “I’m excited to work with the other designers. Right now, I’m more parks focused and I love the parks, but it will be interesting to learn from those designers too.”

Hung said she got the opportunity to work on some amazing projects at Disney, which she really enjoyed. She worked primarily on internal projects.

“We work with all lines of business within the Disney company so international like the resorts in Shanghai, Paris and Tokyo, but then also in Orlando,” Hung said. "I got to work on a big onboarding class that every cast member goes through at Disney. That was a really awesome experience. Another fun example is LucasFilm called us up and needed a training done. It was themed to Star Wars’ Rogue One. It’s been a lot of fun.”

Jordan Hung designed a mural in the cycling studio of the OU Rec Center.

Hung credits her time at OU for helping her land the internship at Disney, in particular the internship she did with the Oakland University Recreation and Well-Being.

“One of my biggest experiences that led me here, was I did a graphic design internship at the Rec Center at OU,” Hung said. “I worked in their marketing team as a designer, where I was really able to put a lot of portfolio pieces in. I designed the big mural in their cycling studio. That was a really cool experience and opportunity, and now it's up there forever. That internship, along with my classes, was huge. Having the opportunity to get an internship on campus, was honestly one of the biggest things.”

University Recreation and Well-Being Marketing and Communications Coordinator Emilie Kreger said Hung was a joy to work with and her positive attitude rubbed off on everyone around her.

“Jordan’s biggest strengths were her creativity, reliability, and leadership,” Kreger said. “She had a natural eye for design and was always pushing herself to learn new techniques or explore new ideas that elevated our department’s brand. Her service-focused work ethic and ability to anticipate what was needed before being asked made her truly stand out. Jordan was also incredibly organized and consistently met her deadlines early, setting a tone of professionalism that inspired her peers.

“Seeing Jordan’s journey from our marketing team to Disney and now ESPN feels like such a full-circle moment, and honestly, it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person,” Kreger added. “Her creativity, initiative, and passion for continuous growth make her a perfect fit for those environments. It’s no surprise that she’s thriving; she’s always been someone who embraces challenges and turns them into opportunities.”

Hung excelled at her internship, but also in the classroom at OU. Oakland Associate Professor of Graphic Design and Graphic Design Program Director Kimmie Parker said Hung wasn’t afraid to put in the hard work necessary to be successful.

“Jordan was willing to experiment and to iterate as much as possible in order to find the right solution for the design challenge at hand,” Parker said. “This mentality takes patience and perseverance — skills Jordan has in spades. It was a pleasure to work through her ideas with her, and to watch her work evolve over the course of a project.

“Jordan always seemed to be having fun when she was designing,” Parker added. “She took her craft seriously, yet I never got the impression that she thought of her assignments as ‘work.’ Instead, she approached each as a design puzzle to be solved and an opportunity to experiment with a new style or technique or tool. I also appreciated her ability to embrace ‘happy accidents,’ moments in the design process when things don't necessarily turn out as you envisioned, but end up interesting or successful in a different way.”

Hung said she’s thankful for her time at Oakland and feels it helped prepare her for both internship at Disney and her job at ESPN.

“The classes and curriculum that I went through, they cover everything from motion design to illustration,” Hung said. “But I feel like I really took advantage of my time at Oakland. Even though I was a commuter student, I still made the effort to get a job on campus and really take time to meet people there and grow my network.

“I was always searching out opportunities and then saying yes,” Hung added. “Everything I've accomplished that has gotten me to where I am today, is because I said yes to an opportunity. For any current students, I would tell them take advantage of every opportunity that OU offers, because there's so many, if you go looking for them.”

Hung credits hard work for helping her accomplish so much so quickly, a trait she was taught very early.

“My parents Bernie and Cheryl Hung have truly taught me what it means to work hard, lead with integrity and heart, and to chase my dreams,” Hung said. "Coming from a family of OU Alum, I feel proud to represent the university.”