Jiahui Zhou
China
CAREER Enrolled in September 2014; Completed master’s degree in March 2017
During my university years in China, I was majoring in Chemical Engineering. I soon realized Engineering was not my passion, but I developed a strong interest for system thinking. That’s when I went to the states and got to know about Design Thinking. I was working with students from all over the world, and was so fascinated by the chemistry a diverse team created when they work towards a shared value. So, when I decided to pursue a Master in Design, I knew I was on the search for a nontraditional environment, and that’s how I joined KMD.
During my years in KMD, I had the opportunity to work with people from different educational backgrounds, speaking different languages, growing up in diverse cultures. This precious experience in my academic years, taught me to work with diversity, and cope with complexity. I was also very lucky to join the GID program, during which we travelled to London and New York. The GID experience gave me a broader view of design which was a contrast from traditional craftsmanship to front-end speculative design.
I currently work in a Strategic Design Agency, helping large-scale Japanese organizations optimize their user experience, develop new business, and prototype their future vision. This exciting work comes with great complexity at the same time. Thanks to the valuable experience I gained from KMD, I am more confident and comfortable to tackle different kind of challenges I face everyday, and always move forward.
(This article was written in March 2020.)