Building Courageous Careers: Meet Liz Sweeney, Master Consultant, Design, InHerShoes
August 13, 2021
Liz Sweeney
As a Los Angeles-based graphic designer, Liz splits her time between working professionally in the entertainment industry and finishing her Master’s at CalStateLA. Her academic work centers around communicating the difficulties and historical disadvantages women continue to face in society. Looking at the political environment surrounding women’s issues which have been normalized, Liz measures the evolution of attitudes toward women in politics. She is a fierce advocate for women in the entertainment industry and empowers other women to succeed in the workforce.
What brought you to InHerShoes?
I was looking for an organization that not only supported female empowerment but was also women-led. When I came across InHerShoes, I learned that the organization has that same mindset and amplifies that message through courage. Every choice women take in their life is a courageous one, and embracing that mindset towards healthy change can help impact and shape the future.
What are you working on now at IHS? How does this work fuel your passion?
Currently, I’m working on the marketing rollout and branding of the 2021 summit and all the exciting possibilities that we can incorporate to connect and inspire women. While the options feel limitless, it helps fuel the passion for what is needed and accessible to women in the now. Working on such exciting projects always helps fuel the power of why we are here and the different and unique strengths we can bring together to evolve InHerShoes.
What is your greatest learning experience (thus far)?
I would say getting to know the team behind IHS, how everyone’s journey is not only diverse but parallel in leading us to this point, and not only that but how to pass that knowledge and experience on to help lead has taught me a lot about the passion behind IHS.
What do you appreciate most about your summer experience?
It is connecting with the strong women behind IHS both virtually and in person. It’s inspiring seeing everyone balancing everything in life and still dedicating time to supporting women to take courage to follow their dreams.
What’s next for your future?
I am finishing my MFA at CalStateLA in spring ’22 focusing on design and then applying that education to support forward projects surrounding issues that drive me.
This summer, Liz volunteered 8 hours a week for ten weeks to InHerShoes and shadowed the Head of Marketing and Brand Strategy, Jasmine Cruz. Carrying a busy 9-6 workload during the week, Liz appreciated the flexibility of her internship which allowed her to complete her marketing deliverables on the weekends. InHerShoes served as the perfect creative outlet for Liz during her free time.
Liz enjoyed applying her design experience to new spaces including marketing, social media and branding. InHerShoes truly served as her playground and safe space to be courageous to try new things. Her two noteworthy projects from this summer include her contributions to the development of the marketing collateral for the upcoming InHerShoes Catalyze Courage Summit and the ideation and creation of the organization’s new logo.
Liz enjoyed soaking up knowledge and building new marketing skills under Jasmine’s direction. Liz considers Jasmine a “dream partnership” and is so grateful to Jasmine for expanding her horizons beyond the field of graphic design to gain valuable experience in marketing, social media and branding, areas that Liz would otherwise not have direct exposure to.
“As a result of my work with InHerShoes, I have more viable avenues to pursue in my future. Do I want to do marketing? Do I want to do copywriting? I am excited about all the new possibilities ahead.”
From Jasmine’s perspective, the feelings of gratitude flows both ways:
“Liz is a bright, courageous catalyst with an inspiring eye for designing with purpose. Whether it was crafting rollout strategies or exploring the evolution of our organization, she approached every challenge with such care and thoughtfulness, and I'm so grateful that I had the chance to work so closely with her.”
Liz loved her internship experience so much that she hopes to return to InHerShoes after graduation next May to continue growing the organization’s marketing efforts.
