Garcia, Itzel

I consider myself to be a kind person as I tend to look out for other people’s feelings and circumstances. I am an empath, and it can be challenging as I am already dealing with my feelings. I think being an empath can be a great thing because I can be understanding of others and allows me to give good advice to help them. However, being an empath can come with cons. People often come to me so they can express themselves to feel better knowing someone is listening. Unfortunately, I often give people the harsh truth because I don’t want anyone to suffer longer than they need to. On the other hand, I like to dance as I think expression can be accomplished through song choice and dance moves. Apart from dancing I like to weight lift as it allows me to release stress and anger in a healthy manner. When it comes to accomplishing my goals, I would like to say that I have sacrificed a lot of things to be where I am. It takes a lot of determination as being a minority in design is already difficult enough. I want to make my parents proud because they have sacrificed their youth, home, and family to give me a better life. These past few years as a design student has shown me that I am brave, as I have done things outside of my comfort zone. I have become more independent as designing portrays one’s creativity and confidence, and it is up to you to complete the tasks. Strategy is needed to complete my goals because it allows me to see what I need to tackle in order to accomplish my goal.

Do you have any plans after this semester?

Staying in town for the holidays but going to Florida at the beginning of January for a wedding. Also, hitting the gym to get back into shape because I miss weightlifting.

What type of designer would you like to be?

I would love to be a commercial designer. If i had to choose I would love to do hotels, maybe hospitals too.

Can you tell me about any problems you ran into in the studio or outside?

Balancing all the work from every class. My mental health was on a decline all semester. I am sleep deprived from having to stay up late every night.

What kind of place would you like to design next?

I would love to design a hotel, retail store, or a hospital to have a broader range of designs for my portfolio.

What do you think makes a good workplace?

Aside from having management that truly cares about the company as much as employees, appropriate furniture, equipment, and a good atmosphere makes a good workplace.

Can you tell me what evidence-based design means to you?

Understanding the environment and how it affects an individual through research.

Compared to previous semesters, the semester may be challenging in many ways, but you may be able to see your accomplishments. Reviewing your accomplishments, what did you learn from this studio?

Having a full grasp of your concept is important. Having facts / research to support your concept will make it stronger. Also, in this studio I learned to go with my gut. I tried something outside of my comfort zone and I really enjoyed the end result, even though I doubted myself most of the semester.

Would you like to share anything with future students of this studio?

STAY ON TOP OF YOUR THINGS AKA TIME MANAGEMENT! Always be working on something regardless of how small the progress is. If you wait till the last minute to work on all of your homework for every class, you are going to regret it. Second most important thing is to believe in yourself! “If you can take you, you can make it.” - Unbroken