Sadie Strosser ’22.5


Zero Crossing, New York, NY

This summer, I had the opportunity and pleasure to work with Zero Crossing, a New York City-based tech company that specializes in pared-down hardware, including MIDI devices and portable amplifiers. The company is small and tight-knit, and all of my colleagues were deeply creative and had thoughtful personal philosophies concerning hardware and software development as well as tech at large. I worked both in-person and remotely throughout the summer. While the company generally specializes in hardware, they have made multiple forays into software development, specifically within the realm of music tech—years back the company produced a digital theremin, for instance. This summer, I joined the team in their endeavors to develop a narrative-based app that will eventually be available on multiple digital platforms.

At Williams, I major in both art history and studio art, so working at a tech company was a surprising and somewhat unexpected professional move for me. Zero Crossing is unique, however, for its small size and its personal mission toward making high-quality, yet accessible and modifiable tech accessories. I especially appreciated the low-fi, retro feel of many of the projects both formerly produced at Zero Crossing, as well as those currently in development. The project I was working on was also heavily visually oriented—as an art intern, I assisted in the process of storyboarding and working on art development and the visual scheme of the application in general.

It was a wonderful experience to work with seasoned professionals, many of whom have been in the tech world since the inception of the Internet. It was fascinating to hear about the way in which tech has evolved since the end of the previous century. Everyone at the company has, in combination with their technical capabilities, a certain aesthetic sensibility that we bonded over. So, in all, working at such a small, creative company was a wonderful professional experience regardless of my tech background, or lack thereof.

I am incredibly grateful for this career opportunity and professional experience. It was a major shift for me to work in tech, however I found the environment to be incredibly exciting, creative and inspiring. I feel empowered in knowing that my creative skills can be applied and appreciated within multiple realms. It was a wonderful experience to be able to collaborate with such creative and forward-thinking colleagues, and I am looking forward to bringing everything I learned throughout this experience with me forward in my career development.

I would like to extend my appreciation and deepest gratitude toward the ’68 Center for Career Exploration, as well as to the Sarah R. and David L. Pesikoff 1990 Internship in particular, for allowing me the opportunity to explore this wonderful professional opportunity.