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STUDENT VOICES
Life of the Campus
Our team of education experts spend much of their time on
campuses, speaking with faculty and administrators and observing
learning spaces. We do this so we can better understand what it
takes to create environments where everyone can do their best
and that can evolve as needs change and institutions grow.
We value the insights of all our education partners—especially
the students who learn in the spaces we help create. This is why
we sponsor an annual Student Video Contest, where we ask
students to share their ideas about the learning experience. We
recently spoke to the three fnalists from the 2014 contest and
asked them to explain why, in a world where learning can happen
anywhere, the physical campus continues to matter.
hermanmiller.com/studentvideocontest
When I’m working on a project on my own, I can’t sit in a dim room
and hammer away on a computer. I have to be around something
that inspires me. The university’s life sciences building has great
views of the lakes in the area. There is also a greenhouse with
beautiful things to see and smell. When the weather is nice, I like
to sit on the steps of one of the buildings and take in everything
that’s going on outside.
In my last year in the business program, I was involved in a lot
of group projects. There was teamwork in every class, and we
had to get together ofen to write business plans. Some of my
teammates would want to meet in the library or the cafeteria,
but I would encourage the group to meet in new and diferent
places. One of my favorite places to meet was the Wisconsin
Institutes for Discovery, which has a huge open hall, a glass ceiling,
and trees inside the building. The change of scenery really
seemed to help us work better.
Dylan Jordee
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Recent Graduate in Sociology, Environmental Studies, and Business
Student Voices
The design program at NC State is intensely focused on
collaboration. We’re in the studio for fve to eight hours a day,
and we spend all of our extra time there. When you walk inside
the studio, there is this magical energy I don’t think you can fnd
anywhere else. Everyone is ready to help each other. You can’t
help but gravitate toward one another and end up working more
on each other’s problems than your own.
At the same time, we do a lot of work with other design students,
as well as students from across the university. We’re constantly
taking in everyone’s views and strengths and building them
into our work.
My experience in the design program has helped me realize how
much an object like a piece of furniture can afect you. It’s one
of many things in a space that have an impact on how you feel
and interact with others. I’m interested in learning more about
how spaces and experiences can be designed to foster creativity.
Having a place like Kendall, where the teachers and the students
are really supportive, was essential to my learning experience.
As a graphic designer, I needed a lot of studio time. Most days,
I was on campus 14 hours a day. My teachers encouraged me
a lot, but it was really inside of me—the drive to be at school
and embrace everything that was happening on campus. I was
ofen informed by my surroundings, especially when I was diving
into a project and working with other students. We inspired each
other every single day.
In my senior year, I started to stray away and explore my own
interests. It’s important to have individual time to reflect,
but I spent a lot of nights during fnals with a few friends from
my portfolio class, helping each other in the studio, making
sure we had all of the resources we needed, and sharing those
crazy, haphazard moments when the building was closing in
two hours and we were so far behind that we didn’t think we
would ever fnish. Having those people to support me—and
being there to support them—really helped me grow.
Kevin Czarnik
Kendall College of Art and Design
Recent Graduate of the Graphic Design Program
Eric Dekker
North Carolina State University
Third-Year Industrial Design Student
