Alumni Spotlight : Sarah Wilson – Austensen
It has been 127 days since I graduated from the MFA Design program in May of this year. The past two years have been filled with amazing opportunities, constant experimentation, and, of course, some wicked failures.
In the last few months since leaving MFA Design I have been involved in developing SVA’s new incubator program: SVA GroundFloor Incubator. The incubator program is an exciting opportunity for recent SVA graduates and alumni to have access to tools and mentoring that are necessary to transform student projects into viable entrepreneurial ventures with a positive social impact. In January of 2017 I will join founders from various SVA graduate departments to further develop my MFA Design venture, Jasper Precision Cannabis. My venture, Jasper, is an all-in-one device that simplifies the intimidating process of cannabis consumption. Jasper combines all the benefits of a storage container, grinder, and pipe while also giving the user the ability to store their medication in doses. Each section of Jasper feeds seamlessly into the next, providing a fast and easy way to medicate on the go.
MFA Design has helped build my confidence as a designer by providing a solid platform of resources and facilities, the Visible Futures Lab is an invaluable resource that helped me turn my rapid prototypes into fully functioning 3D printed prototypes. MFA Design faculty come from a wide range of industries, which helps to shape the multidisciplinary “do it all” atmosphere for which the program has come to be known. SVA’s MFA Design is the perfect balance of blue sky thinking while still having your feet planted firmly in the reality of the industry.
Keep an eye out for Jasper’s Kickstarter campaign in the next year and if you have any resources or want to get in touch please don’t hesitate to reach out.