Daisy McKinnon
3rd-year student, Bachelor of Design Te Tohu Paetahi mō te Hoahoa in Spatial and Interior Design with minors in Design for Health & Temporary Practices / Temporary Publics
For Daisy McKinnon, deciding to come to AUT to study a Bachelor of Design Te Tohu Paetahi mō te Hoahoa in Spatial and Interior Design was easy.
“In high school, I really enjoyed drawing and did well in Design and Visual Communication, so my teacher encouraged me to look at a design degree. I originally wanted to do architecture, but wanted more of a design approach. Spatial design offers me a way to do something similar to architecture, but it’s more artistic and creative. I chose AUT because I had always heard positive things from friends and family members. My sister attended AUT and said it's a fun and creative university that cares a lot about its students.”
It’s a decision she certainly hasn’t regretted, and she is thoroughly enjoying her studies.
“I think what I’ve enjoyed most was how my perspective and approach to learning and life has positively changed since studying at AUT. I’ve really enjoyed learning about myself, my drivers, motivators and all the elements that shape me into the designer I am today. It has really encouraged me to appreciate all the elements I offer to the world of future designers.”
Making connections
The friends she has made are what she loves most about student life at AUT, Daisy says.
“I’ve made some of my closest friends here at AUT, and we’ll most likely be friends for life. Most of the students at AUT are keen learners and we’re all here for the same reason, making it an extremely positive and encouraging space to be in, and enabling me to be my authentic self.”
She has also been impressed by the AUT staff and especially appreciated the guidance of two of her lecturers.
“Dr Emily O’Hara had the biggest impact on me during my time at AUT. She was a lecturer during my first year of spatial design, and taught me in all three years of my Temporary Practices / Temporary Publics minor. She is a positive and encouraging person who always made me feel like I was meant to be a student at AUT. She made me feel seen and heard when I was struggling, making my time at AUT so much more enjoyable.
“Professor Steve Reay really helped me through my Design for Health minor. I told him in the first and second year that I wasn’t sure if this minor is for me. Steve told me to persevere as he believed that I could do well in the class if I kept going, which I did. Thanks to Steve really believing in me, the minor ended up being one of my favourite classes and I ended up learning about important aspects of myself that I would have missed out on without his encouragement.”
Advice for other students
Daisy’s advice for other students is simple: don’t give up.
“It's very easy to feel unmotivated and think you're not on the right path when things get too much or stressful, or if your hard work is going unnoticed. But when you keep working hard through the difficult times, you really blossom into a better version of yourself. As part of the process, you also learn some valuable lessons about yourself as a person as well as a designer.”
She says she would definitely recommend studying at AUT.
“It's a creative, supportive and enjoyable university that offers heaps of support to the students and allows you to study things that can be abstract and interesting. It really helps you understand what you want to do with your life in the future.”
