It takes a lot of work to put together our print publication — from all the ads inside to laying out the content for our readers each week, we have an entire team who works hard to design it all and send it off for printing. This week, we say goodbye to one of those team members, Ava Talehakimi, who is taking the next steps in her career to become a therapist.
How long have you been with the Indy, and what was your position? What is one of your favorite memories from working here?
I have been working at the Indy for the past seven years — four years as the production designer and three years as the production manager — which is wild to write out and reflect on. It’s hard to pin down a favorite memory, but a notable one is winning second place in our annual Halloween costume contest for my Storke Tower costume.
What will you be pursuing now? Will you still have any connections with graphic designing, or do you want to still pursue that?
I’m making a pivot in my career to follow what I’ve always wanted to do, which is to work in the mental health field as a therapist. I will still be doing freelance graphic design on the side; I’ve been working with Adobe InDesign for the past 14 years, and I’m not ready to stop.
What are you most looking forward to at your new position? Do you plan to stay in Santa Barbara for a while?
Oh, there are so many things! But primarily, I look forward to getting to work with my clients to support them in meeting their goals and to doing what I can to uplift my community. I feel so privileged to get to work so closely with others. Thankfully my new job is in S.B., so I get to stay in our beautiful town for longer!
What are you going to miss most about working at the Indy?
Definitely the people. I am so grateful to have gotten to work collaboratively with so many amazing colleagues who are so good at what they do and care so much about the community!
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