Star Flower
This pattern is a popular type of eight-pointed star. The block is made of basic triangles, but comes together to form a complex shape. This is a commonly made block, and gives off a bright and cheery energy.
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Babaljit Kaur
Student Activist
Babaljit is in her final DAAP semester, and has spent her time at UC being involved with campus politics. She is an advocate for Accessibility Resources, and has organized various idea-sharing events. During our interview we discussed her volunteer work on campus, the seclusion of DAAP students, and the types of things that can be learned by getting away from one’s comfort zone.
Let’s get started. I’ll start recording. If you could just start off with telling me your name, your pronouns, and why you think I asked you to be part of this project.
My name is Babaljit Kaur. My pronouns are she/her. I’m not really sure why you asked. I think you mentioned my advocacy work and that I’m kind of involved on campus. So I’d assume because of that.
Definitely. I saw a lot of you posting on social media for what you’re working on around campus and I thought that it would be really interesting to have some of your stories and some of your ideas included in this project. So do you want to tell us a little bit about that?
I guess I can touch on what different parts I’m involved it. I’ve been involved in undergraduate Student Government this past year. I’m on the Equity and Inclusion Committee as the Director of Accessibility Resources. I serve as the student body representative for any accessibility needs on campus and serve as the liaison between students and the administration work that is being done. But also, to do things on campus to help people be educated about accessible things. Also I create opportunities to help prove these things and to draw attention to them. So that's kind of one of the bigger things. And then I've also been involved with TEDxUCincinnati and Midwest Dhamaka but that's working on the design side.
That's awesome. So why did you decide to get involved with all these things?
I think for me personally, DAAP just seems very different from the rest of the college. It's off to one side. I kind of wanted to get away to get more involved with the student body that wasn't necessarily in DAAP. All the organizations I'm involved with I really like what they stand for and what their mission is. So the first time I got involved was with TEDxUCincinnati. And I actually volunteered for one of their events my second year. Then I got an email like, 'hey, we're recruiting for our exec. board'. Back then I was also kind of looking for how I could use my field as a graphic designer and what I could do with it. So I kind of decided to get involved with that. I really enjoyed it and the people I met. I liked TED's whole idea of bringing out new ideas. I had the opportunity to meet a lot of new people and just hear what they had to say. Through that, I had a mutual friend who was on Midwest Dhamaka, which is a Bollywood Fusion competition. She was like 'hey, we are looking for a designer. Would you like to join?' I wasn't really that involved with my own South Asian community on campus. I thought that would be a great way to get involved with that. So I decided to join that and I really enjoyed that experience and being able to connect back to my culture in that aspect. Through that, someone who is also on Midwest Dhamaka was on Student Government. I heard about it and I decided to get involved in something that wasn't necessarily design-focused. It was more so something I was passionate about. This was something where I would be able to have a place to share my voice but also help other students.
That's really awesome. And I know that DAAP has obviously a really rigorous schedule. They try to keep us as busy as they can. So I think it's really amazing that you still make time for these other things. Because it can get nuts. I love what you said about DAAP seeming like it can be kind of separate. So what interesting new experiences or ideas have you been able to get to by separating yourself from that?
I THINK IT'S MOSTLY BEING AROUND PEOPLE. I FEEL LIKE SOMETIMES PEOPLE ARE JUST SO FOCUS ON DAAP. WHEN YOU TRY TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE ABOUT ANYTHING OTHER THAN DAAP THEY ALWAYS COME BACK TO BEING AROUND DAAP OR SCHOOL PROJECTS OR PORTFOLIOS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SO WHEN I GOT INVOLVED WITH OTHER PEOPLE IT WAS JUST BEING ABLE TO SEE THINGS FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE IN A WAY.
It kind of sounds very cliche. But it was just being able to be involved with another group of people and our conversations weren’t necessarily all about design. They weren't all necessarily about DAAP. I've just met some new friends who are not in DAAP even though that is my major. I feel like with other majors, you have the opportunity to connect with people outside of your major but with us you're always taking classes with only DAAP people. Because that's what your required course is. So I've met a lot of people throughout this but I've also just learned a lot more on how to be a student leader. I think getting involved has really helped push forward my leadership skills and also my ability to know that as a designer I'm bringing this perspective. But also I get interdisciplinary collaboration with people who are from business, people who are from the medical sciences. In DAAP you do collaborate with other majors occasionally. We have ID and Graphics collaborate for a project. Or with Fashion. But you're still all designers. I guess when you have a lot of designers in the same field that can kind of become kind of hard because we all have different styles and aesthetics. But when you're collaborating with medical fields they're doctors and you're a designer. So very different ideas and different backgrounds are coming together to work.
Definitely. What are some leadership skills that you have found you pick up through this?
Knowing that this is outside of your realm that you do not have time for this. So you need to find someone who can do it just as well or even better. Just being comfortable knowing that rather than feeling like you have to do everything. I think also just how to be self-aware and critical of myself. And how to talk with people and being able to explain design things to non designers.
That's a good point too. Because there are definitely different communication styles. So, you are involved in a lot of different aspects of campus. Can you speak to some of the concrete changes that you've seen over your 4 or 5 years at UC?
I THINK THAT ONE OF THE PERSONAL CHANGES FOR ME WOULD BE THAT YOU THINK YOUR STUDENT AND THAT YOU DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO A LOT. BECAUSE THERE ARE LIKE 34,000 STUDENTS. AS ONE STUDENT I CAN'T MAKE THAT BIG OF A CHANGE. BUT I THINK IN STUDENT GOVERNMENT I WAS DEFINITELY SEEING THAT IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA, AND IF YOU CAN PLAN IT OUT, YOU CAN GET THINGS DONE. EVEN THOUGH YOU THINK YOU CAN'T JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE A STUDENT.
So with undergraduate student government, we put together an Equity and Inclusion Week last semester. It was all student-organized and we did multiple things. One of the things I organized was a 'Dinner In The Dark'. That was where people would eat blindfolded. It will kind of give you an experience of people who have low vision and things like that would be able to experience a simple task. It was just being able to put that together and the people who were involved with it and came and participated I could help change their minds of why accessibility is needed. So I think one of the things that I've been able to see is that people are becoming more open to perspectives that aren't their own and kind of immersing yourself in experiences that you might not be aware of. With Midwest Dhamaka it is thought to be a very South Asian focused thing. But I have friends who are from all different backgrounds who come and see it and people are open to celebrating and sharing that aspect. And then, with Student Government, I know this past year they did incorporate a lot of things about improving mental health on campus and trying to get current faculty to do a program for that. There are a lot of things being done but it's also hard to be aware of that because of everything that's going on.
Yeah that makes sense. One big aspect of my project is community building and exposing different people to stories, to ideas, to groups that they would otherwise not know. So I want to ask everyone involved with the project: what would you say defines your community? Is it a location? Is it people with certain interest? What would you say binds your community together?
I think all of the communities and all of my student involvement that I've been in, the thing that really binds people together is a passion that they have for it. I know that with TEDx, we all have a passion of bringing people together and sharing new ideas. The whole idea of a TED Talk is getting people on stage and having new ideas and we're all just excited to share that with a larger audience. With Midwest Dhamaka we all have a passion for sharing our culture with the community. And for Student Government we having a passion for advocating for the student body. I think that there are times with all of my student involvement where you just don't like it. You're like 'what am I doing?' You question yourself if it's even worth it. At the end of the day you're like, 'I'm just so passionate about this' and you kind of see it. With TEDx, to see our annual event come together is just so worth it. With MD to see the actual show happen just becomes so worth it. Because we are so passionate about the mission that even though you do doubt yourself it's worth it going forward.
That's awesome.So, would you say that when you do start to get stressed out or when you do start to doubt the change that you're making, you kind of get that energy from seeing the dedication in the hard work of those around you?
Yeah, I think it's also just being surrounded by people who are also as passionate. People who also have the same mindset. I know that sometimes things fall through or things come up. But everyone has the same mission and we're all just so excited towards the common goal. We all help each other and support each other because we all want to do it for the best of everyone. Just having that support helps a lot.
That's awesome. Can you think of any particular stories that speak to that situation?
I think for this year for TEDxUCincinnati, I served as Director of Design. Then I also have a Design Chair with me and a Photography Chair. Meetings leading up to the final week we had a lot of stuff on our plate and a lot of things that were very last minute. I personally had other things going on in my life because I was planning for something else, and the other two individuals were also getting their portfolios together to send out for co-ops. We all just had a lot on our plate and then on top of that all the stuff from TED was getting tossed on us. As designers, people do want to help but if the things need to be done in design programs then it's very hard for other people to help. It also makes it double the amount of work because others can do a little bit but then you have to go back as the designer and fix it and do what needs to be done. I remember being in Linder until like 11:30 at night. This was from meetings that had started at 8:30. Everyone had left around 10ish and we were still there at 11:30 and we were doing everything and we were all just so stressed. We didn't have enough time. But at the end of the day, we just knew that we needed to make until Saturday. On Saturday everything would be fine and everything will be worth it. We knew we could do the work, but it was just kind of frustrating for a lot of things to be last-minute and out of our control. I think with things like that, a lot of things are going to come out that you can't necessarily control, but you're going to have to get it done. It's kind of hard to not be frustrated over things like that. I prepped myself and did my schedule and I was planning on making sure everything was on time. Then there are things you don't expect. It messes with your time schedule. The week leading up to the TED event was very stressful for the design team because there were a lot of last-minute things. We got it done. We were all excited and knew that everything would have been worth it for Saturday and our team was very supportive because they appreciate the work that we were doing.
As a DAAP student, do you think that if you had the option would you go to the same school again? Or do you think that there may be some things that you've learned that change your opinion of design education?
I have enjoyed my time at DAAP a lot. We have a co-op program which is nice, and very different from other schools. That is what differentiates DAAP from other schools, compared to if you only went for years and didn't have that experience.
I THINK I WOULD GO TO DAAP AGAIN BECAUSE I HAVE LEARNED A LOT WITH WHAT I'VE BEEN TAUGHT. I WOULD DEFINITELY GO TO UC AGAIN. IF I'M BEING HONEST, I FEEL LIKE IF I WASN'T SO INVOLVED ON CAMPUS, MY COLLEGE EXPERIENCE WOULD BE VERY DIFFERENT. I WOULDN'T HAVE ENJOYED IT AS MUCH AS I DID. I WOULDN'T HAVE AS MUCH SPIRIT OR PRIDE FOR UC IF I WASN'T THAT HEAVILY INVOLVED. BUT I WOULD DEFINITELY GO TO BOTH AGAIN IF I HAD THE OPTION TO.
If you weren't doing the involvement that you're going here, do you think that you would volunteer elsewhere? Maybe just in the greater Cincinnati community?
I volunteer with a few nonprofits outside of campus. I do design stuff for them. One is called OneSight and I do contract design and work with them. Another one is called MannMukti and their entire team is remote. They focus on mental health in the South Asian community and the stigma that surrounds it. I kind of try to stay involved with organizations that align with my beliefs and support them through design and what I'm studying. Being able to use my skills to support something that I'm passionate about.
What do you see yourself doing after graduation?
That's a great question. Because with everything going on, the job search is really hard right now. Everything is closed and I'm like 'how am I supposed to find a job if I don't even know that I'm graduating?' A lot of places are physically not even open. I think that after graduation I would like to work at the intersection of design and social responsibility. With my sociology minor I've learned a lot about how society is structured and why things are the way they are. And the ideologies behind it and how people work together. I would, at the end of the day, like to work with design that takes a look at social impact in our communities and the world around us.
That's awesome. Do you see any design firms in Cincy specifically focusing on that?
I think there is an organization called DesignImpact and they work with community-building and stuff like that. That's the only one I can think of off the top of my head. Also maybe in the healthcare field because that is helping someone. Or nonprofits.
Can you tell me a little bit about your capstone?
My capstone is called Politics Of Living. It's supposed to be a social campaign and tool for people to get more politically engaged. It's a social campaign and a matching system that educates and raises awareness of political activism for different topics while also matching individuals with groups, organizations, and tasks that align with their interests. It is geared towards college-educated adults who have an interest in politics. We have it divided into different categories. It's getting the basic facts about each topic. It's divided into climate change, civil rights, business and economy, health care, education, and law and punishment. The overall facts are there. We're not trying to lean Democratic or Republican. It's just straight-up facts on what's happening and also why it's important to be engaged at a local level, state level, national level. And it matches people, you can be like 'oh I have an interest in civil rights' so then it would show you organizations that are doing that and you can get involved in. So it's kind of for people who have an interest in politics but don't know what to do next and connecting them with tools and resources to actually start making an impact.
That's really cool. How are you developing that as a physical deliverable in the end?
There's two of us working on it together. We are actually making our main deliverable website that would host all this information on it and kind of just provide you with the resources. And the matching system would be embedded into it. As a secondary thing we are doing a print book that has all of our research and all of our copy in it. Also, a social media campaign on Instagram that people can connect to and see our deliverables.
How do you feel about the primary being cancelled?
Yeah! There were a lot of mixed things going on last night. I think the decision was made pretty late last night actually. I mean, I'm happy that it's better for the health of everyone. But it was going back very late and there were some people that didn't even know the primary was happening. So that's a whole other issue.
My name is Babaljit Kaur. My pronouns are she/her. I’m not really sure why you asked. I think you mentioned my advocacy work and that I’m kind of involved on campus. So I’d assume because of that.
Definitely. I saw a lot of you posting on social media for what you’re working on around campus and I thought that it would be really interesting to have some of your stories and some of your ideas included in this project. So do you want to tell us a little bit about that?
I guess I can touch on what different parts I’m involved it. I’ve been involved in undergraduate Student Government this past year. I’m on the Equity and Inclusion Committee as the Director of Accessibility Resources. I serve as the student body representative for any accessibility needs on campus and serve as the liaison between students and the administration work that is being done. But also, to do things on campus to help people be educated about accessible things. Also I create opportunities to help prove these things and to draw attention to them. So that's kind of one of the bigger things. And then I've also been involved with TEDxUCincinnati and Midwest Dhamaka but that's working on the design side.
That's awesome. So why did you decide to get involved with all these things?
I think for me personally, DAAP just seems very different from the rest of the college. It's off to one side. I kind of wanted to get away to get more involved with the student body that wasn't necessarily in DAAP. All the organizations I'm involved with I really like what they stand for and what their mission is. So the first time I got involved was with TEDxUCincinnati. And I actually volunteered for one of their events my second year. Then I got an email like, 'hey, we're recruiting for our exec. board'. Back then I was also kind of looking for how I could use my field as a graphic designer and what I could do with it. So I kind of decided to get involved with that. I really enjoyed it and the people I met. I liked TED's whole idea of bringing out new ideas. I had the opportunity to meet a lot of new people and just hear what they had to say. Through that, I had a mutual friend who was on Midwest Dhamaka, which is a Bollywood Fusion competition. She was like 'hey, we are looking for a designer. Would you like to join?' I wasn't really that involved with my own South Asian community on campus. I thought that would be a great way to get involved with that. So I decided to join that and I really enjoyed that experience and being able to connect back to my culture in that aspect. Through that, someone who is also on Midwest Dhamaka was on Student Government. I heard about it and I decided to get involved in something that wasn't necessarily design-focused. It was more so something I was passionate about. This was something where I would be able to have a place to share my voice but also help other students.
That's really awesome. And I know that DAAP has obviously a really rigorous schedule. They try to keep us as busy as they can. So I think it's really amazing that you still make time for these other things. Because it can get nuts. I love what you said about DAAP seeming like it can be kind of separate. So what interesting new experiences or ideas have you been able to get to by separating yourself from that?
I THINK IT'S MOSTLY BEING AROUND PEOPLE. I FEEL LIKE SOMETIMES PEOPLE ARE JUST SO FOCUS ON DAAP. WHEN YOU TRY TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE ABOUT ANYTHING OTHER THAN DAAP THEY ALWAYS COME BACK TO BEING AROUND DAAP OR SCHOOL PROJECTS OR PORTFOLIOS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SO WHEN I GOT INVOLVED WITH OTHER PEOPLE IT WAS JUST BEING ABLE TO SEE THINGS FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE IN A WAY.
It kind of sounds very cliche. But it was just being able to be involved with another group of people and our conversations weren’t necessarily all about design. They weren't all necessarily about DAAP. I've just met some new friends who are not in DAAP even though that is my major. I feel like with other majors, you have the opportunity to connect with people outside of your major but with us you're always taking classes with only DAAP people. Because that's what your required course is. So I've met a lot of people throughout this but I've also just learned a lot more on how to be a student leader. I think getting involved has really helped push forward my leadership skills and also my ability to know that as a designer I'm bringing this perspective. But also I get interdisciplinary collaboration with people who are from business, people who are from the medical sciences. In DAAP you do collaborate with other majors occasionally. We have ID and Graphics collaborate for a project. Or with Fashion. But you're still all designers. I guess when you have a lot of designers in the same field that can kind of become kind of hard because we all have different styles and aesthetics. But when you're collaborating with medical fields they're doctors and you're a designer. So very different ideas and different backgrounds are coming together to work.
Definitely. What are some leadership skills that you have found you pick up through this?
ONE OF THE BIG ONES WOULD BE TIME MANAGEMENT WITH DAAP'S COURSES AND CURRICULUM. I'M ALSO PURSUING A DOUBLE MINOR DURING MY TIME AT SCHOOL. SO TIME MANAGEMENT WAS THE BIG ONE. I THINK COMMUNICATION AND ALSO HOW TO DELEGATE STUFF. I THINK SOMETIMES PEOPLE WANT TO BE LIKE 'I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN DO THIS. I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS HOW TO DO IT. SO I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO'S GOING TO DO IT'. BUT A LOT OF LEADERSHIP IS LEARNING HOW TO DELEGATE WORK AND KNOWING 'THIS IS WHAT I CAN HANDLE'. BEING SELF AWARE OF THAT.
Knowing that this is outside of your realm that you do not have time for this. So you need to find someone who can do it just as well or even better. Just being comfortable knowing that rather than feeling like you have to do everything. I think also just how to be self-aware and critical of myself. And how to talk with people and being able to explain design things to non designers.
That's a good point too. Because there are definitely different communication styles. So, you are involved in a lot of different aspects of campus. Can you speak to some of the concrete changes that you've seen over your 4 or 5 years at UC?
I THINK THAT ONE OF THE PERSONAL CHANGES FOR ME WOULD BE THAT YOU THINK YOUR STUDENT AND THAT YOU DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO A LOT. BECAUSE THERE ARE LIKE 34,000 STUDENTS. AS ONE STUDENT I CAN'T MAKE THAT BIG OF A CHANGE. BUT I THINK IN STUDENT GOVERNMENT I WAS DEFINITELY SEEING THAT IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA, AND IF YOU CAN PLAN IT OUT, YOU CAN GET THINGS DONE. EVEN THOUGH YOU THINK YOU CAN'T JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE A STUDENT.
So with undergraduate student government, we put together an Equity and Inclusion Week last semester. It was all student-organized and we did multiple things. One of the things I organized was a 'Dinner In The Dark'. That was where people would eat blindfolded. It will kind of give you an experience of people who have low vision and things like that would be able to experience a simple task. It was just being able to put that together and the people who were involved with it and came and participated I could help change their minds of why accessibility is needed. So I think one of the things that I've been able to see is that people are becoming more open to perspectives that aren't their own and kind of immersing yourself in experiences that you might not be aware of. With Midwest Dhamaka it is thought to be a very South Asian focused thing. But I have friends who are from all different backgrounds who come and see it and people are open to celebrating and sharing that aspect. And then, with Student Government, I know this past year they did incorporate a lot of things about improving mental health on campus and trying to get current faculty to do a program for that. There are a lot of things being done but it's also hard to be aware of that because of everything that's going on.
Yeah that makes sense. One big aspect of my project is community building and exposing different people to stories, to ideas, to groups that they would otherwise not know. So I want to ask everyone involved with the project: what would you say defines your community? Is it a location? Is it people with certain interest? What would you say binds your community together?
I think all of the communities and all of my student involvement that I've been in, the thing that really binds people together is a passion that they have for it. I know that with TEDx, we all have a passion of bringing people together and sharing new ideas. The whole idea of a TED Talk is getting people on stage and having new ideas and we're all just excited to share that with a larger audience. With Midwest Dhamaka we all have a passion for sharing our culture with the community. And for Student Government we having a passion for advocating for the student body. I think that there are times with all of my student involvement where you just don't like it. You're like 'what am I doing?' You question yourself if it's even worth it. At the end of the day you're like, 'I'm just so passionate about this' and you kind of see it. With TEDx, to see our annual event come together is just so worth it. With MD to see the actual show happen just becomes so worth it. Because we are so passionate about the mission that even though you do doubt yourself it's worth it going forward.
That's awesome.So, would you say that when you do start to get stressed out or when you do start to doubt the change that you're making, you kind of get that energy from seeing the dedication in the hard work of those around you?
Yeah, I think it's also just being surrounded by people who are also as passionate. People who also have the same mindset. I know that sometimes things fall through or things come up. But everyone has the same mission and we're all just so excited towards the common goal. We all help each other and support each other because we all want to do it for the best of everyone. Just having that support helps a lot.
That's awesome. Can you think of any particular stories that speak to that situation?
I think for this year for TEDxUCincinnati, I served as Director of Design. Then I also have a Design Chair with me and a Photography Chair. Meetings leading up to the final week we had a lot of stuff on our plate and a lot of things that were very last minute. I personally had other things going on in my life because I was planning for something else, and the other two individuals were also getting their portfolios together to send out for co-ops. We all just had a lot on our plate and then on top of that all the stuff from TED was getting tossed on us. As designers, people do want to help but if the things need to be done in design programs then it's very hard for other people to help. It also makes it double the amount of work because others can do a little bit but then you have to go back as the designer and fix it and do what needs to be done. I remember being in Linder until like 11:30 at night. This was from meetings that had started at 8:30. Everyone had left around 10ish and we were still there at 11:30 and we were doing everything and we were all just so stressed. We didn't have enough time. But at the end of the day, we just knew that we needed to make until Saturday. On Saturday everything would be fine and everything will be worth it. We knew we could do the work, but it was just kind of frustrating for a lot of things to be last-minute and out of our control. I think with things like that, a lot of things are going to come out that you can't necessarily control, but you're going to have to get it done. It's kind of hard to not be frustrated over things like that. I prepped myself and did my schedule and I was planning on making sure everything was on time. Then there are things you don't expect. It messes with your time schedule. The week leading up to the TED event was very stressful for the design team because there were a lot of last-minute things. We got it done. We were all excited and knew that everything would have been worth it for Saturday and our team was very supportive because they appreciate the work that we were doing.
As a DAAP student, do you think that if you had the option would you go to the same school again? Or do you think that there may be some things that you've learned that change your opinion of design education?
I have enjoyed my time at DAAP a lot. We have a co-op program which is nice, and very different from other schools. That is what differentiates DAAP from other schools, compared to if you only went for years and didn't have that experience.
I THINK I WOULD GO TO DAAP AGAIN BECAUSE I HAVE LEARNED A LOT WITH WHAT I'VE BEEN TAUGHT. I WOULD DEFINITELY GO TO UC AGAIN. IF I'M BEING HONEST, I FEEL LIKE IF I WASN'T SO INVOLVED ON CAMPUS, MY COLLEGE EXPERIENCE WOULD BE VERY DIFFERENT. I WOULDN'T HAVE ENJOYED IT AS MUCH AS I DID. I WOULDN'T HAVE AS MUCH SPIRIT OR PRIDE FOR UC IF I WASN'T THAT HEAVILY INVOLVED. BUT I WOULD DEFINITELY GO TO BOTH AGAIN IF I HAD THE OPTION TO.
If you weren't doing the involvement that you're going here, do you think that you would volunteer elsewhere? Maybe just in the greater Cincinnati community?
I volunteer with a few nonprofits outside of campus. I do design stuff for them. One is called OneSight and I do contract design and work with them. Another one is called MannMukti and their entire team is remote. They focus on mental health in the South Asian community and the stigma that surrounds it. I kind of try to stay involved with organizations that align with my beliefs and support them through design and what I'm studying. Being able to use my skills to support something that I'm passionate about.
What do you see yourself doing after graduation?
That's a great question. Because with everything going on, the job search is really hard right now. Everything is closed and I'm like 'how am I supposed to find a job if I don't even know that I'm graduating?' A lot of places are physically not even open. I think that after graduation I would like to work at the intersection of design and social responsibility. With my sociology minor I've learned a lot about how society is structured and why things are the way they are. And the ideologies behind it and how people work together. I would, at the end of the day, like to work with design that takes a look at social impact in our communities and the world around us.
That's awesome. Do you see any design firms in Cincy specifically focusing on that?
I think there is an organization called DesignImpact and they work with community-building and stuff like that. That's the only one I can think of off the top of my head. Also maybe in the healthcare field because that is helping someone. Or nonprofits.
Can you tell me a little bit about your capstone?
My capstone is called Politics Of Living. It's supposed to be a social campaign and tool for people to get more politically engaged. It's a social campaign and a matching system that educates and raises awareness of political activism for different topics while also matching individuals with groups, organizations, and tasks that align with their interests. It is geared towards college-educated adults who have an interest in politics. We have it divided into different categories. It's getting the basic facts about each topic. It's divided into climate change, civil rights, business and economy, health care, education, and law and punishment. The overall facts are there. We're not trying to lean Democratic or Republican. It's just straight-up facts on what's happening and also why it's important to be engaged at a local level, state level, national level. And it matches people, you can be like 'oh I have an interest in civil rights' so then it would show you organizations that are doing that and you can get involved in. So it's kind of for people who have an interest in politics but don't know what to do next and connecting them with tools and resources to actually start making an impact.
That's really cool. How are you developing that as a physical deliverable in the end?
There's two of us working on it together. We are actually making our main deliverable website that would host all this information on it and kind of just provide you with the resources. And the matching system would be embedded into it. As a secondary thing we are doing a print book that has all of our research and all of our copy in it. Also, a social media campaign on Instagram that people can connect to and see our deliverables.
How do you feel about the primary being cancelled?
Yeah! There were a lot of mixed things going on last night. I think the decision was made pretty late last night actually. I mean, I'm happy that it's better for the health of everyone. But it was going back very late and there were some people that didn't even know the primary was happening. So that's a whole other issue.