Alessandro Riva
Alessandro Riva is an aspiring Web Designer and hard working Cañada College student whose career ambition is to work as a Web Designer in a startup and one day begin his own Web Design company. At Cañada College, Alessandro is currently completing his Web Design certificate and will be transferring to a four-year institution as a Communication Design major in the Fall of 2021. Alessandro plans to achieve his career goals through absolute focus on his education and personal development as a Web Designer.
One of the biggest challenges Alessandro faced during his academic journey includes moving overseas from his home in Italy to California. Although Alessandro is grateful to be pursuing higher education in the United States, it has been a difficult journey transitioning into a completely new environment. Even though Alessandro has had to adjust to a different culture and language, it has also been rewarding to have access to unique learning opportunities at Cañada College. Alessandro says, “Having the opportunity to be in contact with some of the most innovative and technologically advanced companies in the world has been nothing short of extraordinary.” Another challenge Alessandro faced during his academic journey was deciding what major he would pursue. At Cañada College, Alessandro enrolled in a variety of classes which helped him decide what branch of education he was truly passionate about. In particular, Alessandro’s Introduction to Web Design course revealed his tech talent and motivated him to begin a career plan. Alessandro says, “Without Cañada’s unique courses and personalized guidance support, I would not have been able to discover my interest in Web Design. At Cañada College, what I enjoy most is the staff’s eagerness and willingness to help however they can, which is especially helpful to students with undecided majors. ”
Alessandro works as a web developer student assistant at Cañada College. Through his on campus job, Alessandro has been able to receive hands-on experience through Cañada College website projects. Not only has Alessandro’s web developer job gifted him with real world experience, but it has also allowed him to improve the user experience of thousands of Cañada students who navigate the website every day. At Cañada College, Alessandro has also competed in Campus Movie Fest which is hosted by the Cañada Student Senate. Campus Movie Fest is a weeklong film competition where more than 200 students create, compete, and share their stories and Cañada College is the only community college in the country to participate. In Campus Movie Fest, Alessandro created and directed a short film that won three awards for best cinematography and went on to compete nationally against award-winning films from university students across the country. Alessandro says, “Cañada College has given me immense support and I am undoubtedly appreciative of Cañada’s multitude of experience opportunities. I hope to continue improving in every aspect of my life, for the people at Cañada College have and continue to inspire me to become the best version of myself.”
Alessandro attributes his academic success to his family, as they have undeniably showcased their support for his studies from afar. Alessandro advises aspiring Web Design students to involve themselves in building projects that will allow them to grow their problem solving skills. Alessandro says, “If you are undecided about your major don’t worry, for you will find what fills you with joy and determination. Most importantly, never stop learning. I feel education does not end once you have graduated from college or acquire your dream job, but rather it is important to adopt a lifelong learning mindset to ensure constant growth.”