2024 - From Student to Staff: Kaile Raimondi

Kaile Raimondi was promoted to Web Designer and Accessibility Developer in Elgin Community College’s (ECC) Marketing and Communications department this semester. Raimondi’s been transitioning through roles, moving up, and finding his career at ECC since he first began as a student in 2008.

Raimondi’s mom, since retired, worked in the Information Technology department at ECC, which led to his decision to attend the college. Raimondi began pursuing a degree in graphic design, where he met an instructor who encouraged his passion in the field.

“My experience at ECC has always been good, and the instructors were really nice,” Raimondi said. “There was one who made a big impact on me, Connie Orbeta. She helped me quite a bit through the program.”

As a student, Raimondi began working in the campus Bookstore, which he said became like a second family to him. “Everyone would help each other out when we needed it,” Raimondi said. “Especially during book buyback time and the start of classes, everyone would pitch in.”

After a few years of working through his degree while balancing work and an internship in the Graphic Design department, Raimondi finished with his Associate of Applied Science degree in Graphic Design and found his next role on campus once again. 

When his manager in the Graphic Design department transitioned to the Print Shop, Raimondi followed suit and applied for the Print Shop Specialist role.

“I had spent a lot of time in the computer lab, and I never realized all the stuff that had gone into printing it,” Raimondi said. “It was a good experience to see that, and it was helping me develop my skills in graphic design because I learned what I needed to look for when I was designing so they would come out correctly in print.”

Raimondi’s next transition at ECC came unexpectedly when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Print Shop to shut down. He was moved to his current home, Web Services, and began as a Web Technologist. There, Raimondi’s graphic design skills found alignment once again.

“It was interesting because before I began in web services, I didn’t know a lot about the accessibility and what’s required for that,” Raimondi said. “I began learning about tagging documents, remediating things, and making sure designs were accessible as far as color contrast and things like that. Being a designer, the core of it all was really interesting and a big learning experience for me.”

Sixteen years later, Raimondi continues to learn new skills and move forward at ECC. Along the way, the positive culture on campus and the people it has brought has made his decision to stay all these years worth it. To current students, Raimondi has simple advice: “Stay with it and keep going. Things are going to get a little tough, but it’ll be okay.”