Mila Penrith
Degree: BFA, Product Design, French Minor
Graduation Date: Spring 2021
I’m From: Cape Town, South Africa
Why I Came to the UO and How I Chose My Major
I heard about the design program at the University of Oregon and applied on a whim, scrambling my portfolio together while backpacking abroad. To say that I was over the moon after receiving my acceptance, would be an understatement. As a South African, I had a multitude of prestigious design universities to apply to in my home country. However, when the time came to apply for universities, education systems were in a riotous uproar fighting for free schooling. Most of my friends had been out of school for nearly a year due to university suspension and protest disruptions, they were writing their exams on the school fields. Despite my unconditional love for my country, I was inspired to expand my educational experience elsewhere. I knew that the University of Oregon would offer a myriad of experiences, however the College of Design school superseded my expectations. Throughout my three years here, I have been offered experiences that are considered near-to impossible in South Africa. I am overwhelmed by our access to resources with woodshops, sewing machines, 3D programming and 3D printing. The social connections within the program have been just as much of a blessing. I have been told by many other students in other programs how impressed they are by the interconnectedness between students as well as their professors. I believe wholeheartedly that I would not be the designer I am without my peers by my side. From the constructive criticism and brainstorming in class, to the (very) late night motivation before upcoming deadlines, the design students and my friends have been my ultimate support.
When I was in high school, I told my mum that I wanted to pursue design as my career. She kindly suggested that I continue this passion in my spare time and instead, consider becoming a lawyer or a doctor. Her half-joking guidance was due to her experience as a struggling creative. I was born into a family of insurmountable creative talent, my mother epitomizing the designer that I aspire to be. It is known that creative fields of study take a certain type of dedication. Not that my mother ever doubted my ability (the opposite in fact), but she was aware that design is not an easy passion. One is constantly combatting creative blocks, scavenging for resources, creating a personal brand identity all while defying the undulating inner turmoils of feeling creatively inadequate. Of course, as any teenager, I did exactly the opposite of my parental guidance, much to my mother’s dismay (and her secret pride). With an aunt as a beautiful ceramicist and artist, a grandmother as a jeweler, a grandfather as a sculptor and a mother who has experience in fashion design, photography, repurposing and upcycling materials like glass, tires and plastic bottles she finds on the side of the road, my inherited creativity was itching to be released.
I was extremely fortunate to study design in high school, with the most influential teacher in my life. With the fitting name of Ms. Sargeant, she pushed me in ways I could never imagine I would achieve. Through hundreds of hours of design history, sketching and prototyping Sarge opened me to the realm of the greatest designers we have to date. Designers like Walter Gropius and his German brainchild Bauhaus, Ettore Sottsass and his rebellious 1980s Memphis Group, Zaha Hadid and her biomorphic architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright and his overhanging eave buildings, Philippe Starck and his spaceship-esque Juicy Salif Lemon Squeezer visited my thoughts in between studying for French and waiting for AP Maths class.
Although it was my choice to follow design, I have inexpressible gratitude for these powerful creators that guided my decision. I aspire to create something as beautiful as my mum in her wedding dress that she made from silver wine bags (known as “papsakkies” in South Africa) and plastic bottles.
Unique Qualities I Bring to My Studies
As excited as I was to start my university experience after high school, I was incredibly restless to pack a bag and explore the world. So, that is what I did. After working two or three jobs at a time from the age of seventeen onwards, I started saving up my travel funds. Working long hours in service industry, solidified my determination and patience I still have today which as any creative is aware, are essential attributes in the field. My level of innovation came from working at hostels while jumping from country to country. This is where I learned the importance of hitting mental and financial rock bottom. As beautiful as sailing the Dalmatian coast and exploring the streets of floating Venice (my childhood dream) was, I knew that in order to survive, I had to implement the skills I had. Using my design flare, I helped a hostel in Greece recreate their brand identity through photography and social media work and I improved the interior design of hostels in Thailand. Essentially, this is professional terminology for scrubbing years of grime off of abandoned properties, photographing island hotspots, clearing bees nests and broken furniture from old hostel rooms, combatting language barriers with coworkers through makeshift sign language and guiding the guests around the islands.
Work now for me, is a little tamer, as I calmly do freelance logo design for clients in the United States and in South Africa.
My Influential Professors
The beauty of a creative mind stems from the ability to amalgamate inspiration from a multitude of resources and individuals. When my design passions were beginning to sprout, my mother was my greatest teacher. In high school, it was my design professor that pushed me to the extremes that she knew I had the potential to reach, and did. During my gap year spent traveling abroad, I realized the beauty of learning from Mother Nature herself, for there is no greater influence. There is a reason that we derived inspiration from the Namib Desert Beetle and their way of collecting morning dew on the rivulets of it back to hydrate themselves. There is a reason why scientists are studying the nanoscale networks of peacock feathers that reflect specific wavelengths of light which allows for their brilliant teal and blue colour. This realization can be implemented in design in myriad ways, whether it be a new paint for cars, or potentially a new form of camouflage. There is a reason why nature and its species supersedes our way of life and I aspire to learn from the most powerful and omniscient teacher this world has produced. I would not have had this broad perspective on biomimetic design if it was not for Professor Erdem Selek, who, from the very moment of his first lecture, he stretched my mind in perplexing directions. I would walk out of his classes completely bewildered as to how one can achieve thoughtful design and also slightly frustrated that the world is living in a state of acceptance for creations that have little care. It is incredibly humbling to have all your knowledge completely dissected and warped ever-so slightly to make you question the origin of this knowledge and to keep you asking why. Ever since my fist classes with Professor Selek, my mind is scattered with questions of “why this implementation of ergonomics for this bathroom doorhandle, why this pattern in the headlights of a car, why this material for this manufacturing method, why is the tactile texture of this water bottle so appealing to me?”
In the same way that Professor Selek has made me realize that my lifelong design learning has only just begun, these few words of acknowledgment of him as my professor does not encapsulate the significant and exquisite role he has played in my three years of absorbing each and every one of his theories. Throughout my unpredictable, erratic and passionate connection with design, I know one question will remain a constant in my mind–one that Professore Selek asked me, “what do you wish?” With these simple four words, I am confident that my creations will not only be thoughtful, but solve genuine issues that we face in the world.
My Extracurricular Activities
Other than the UO design family, the UO Run club has been a significantly influential community to be a part of. Since primary school, I realized that running was my sport and this was only further solidified in high school as I was awarded the role of Cross Country and Athletics Captain. Whether I was running on the beaches or in the mountains of South Africa, it has always been my physical outlet for emotion, both good and bad. Therefore, finding like-minded people that spend the better part of their afternoons after class exploring the local trails of Eugene and the Mckenzie river, as well as adventuring off to NIRCA Nationals, I have never felt closer to home. Having the well-respected Thomas Heinonen as my coach has reinforced the importance of a healthy lifestyle with his teachings on how to balance my passion for my studies and my passion for running. He helped me through the most difficult running injury that impacted all aspects of my life. I was struggling physically and emotionally, yet he guided me through the healing process despite my impatience to get back on my feet. If I’m not brainstorming, sketching, prototyping or printing in the design studio, I’m searching for new local running trails.
My Greatest Learning Experience at UO
Cultural difference has not only been the biggest struggle, but also the greatest learning experience. Growing up in a country known as the ‚ “Rainbow nation” due to its diversity, I am acutely aware of the importance of acknowledging others with juxtaposing views. One of my goals before moving my life halfway across the world was to ensure that I immerse myself in a foreign society to better understand alternative perspectives.
After Graduation
My main intention was to utilize my skills in order to alleviate stresses on both society and the environment. Through the company, Studio Skosh, that I co founded with my design partner, I hope to do just that. During this unsettled time, the world is struggling to harmonize their home and work lifestyles. Our venture is creating a range of products that ensure a synthesized workflow while people are working remotely from their homes. This can be mentally hindering due to the limited space and distractions such as family members and alternative responsibilities. We hope that our designs will generate an allocated work environment that propagates productivity. Initially, this came about after having experienced these exact inhibitions from COVID-19, and it has now flourished into something I am incredibly inspired to take further after school.
Your Gift
Starting a business midway through college has been intimidating both mentally as well as financially. Balancing tuition fees, education on top of investing in a small startup requires a significant amount of motivation and dedication. My half of the Koehn Funds (shared with my business partner Tyler Wilkinson) will be fully invested into the beginnings of our business. In the spirit of Michael and Stacy Koehn who created this award for students to bring their aspiring designs into market, we are excited to do exactly this. These funds will alleviate stresses regarding the initial expenses that turn a venture into a fully functioning business. With more financial freedom, I will have the ability to explore materials and production methods that are most applicable to our design ethos. I am grateful for the reduction in financial stress throughout the design process for it is one of the most beneficial gifts given to any venture.
The spring term, like for many, was emotionally straining. The transition to online classes and reduction in social connections with design peers and professors required a new level of self-taught motivation and dedication that none of us could have predicted. The financial stresses were weighing heavily on me. However, this scholarship is more than a monetary contribution to my startup. It allows me to explore new paths of design through our business, Studio Skosh2. I am so grateful for the position that I am in as a student following my passions in the innovative and impactful product design program. I traveled across the globe to pursue my career choice in a time where my country, South Africa, was in political and educational turmoil. As a result, I am so appreciative of the opportunity to receive a synthesized and harmonious education with the help of this scholarship. I send thanks to the Koehns from my whole family who allocated their life savings to ensuring I had a solid education, from the lives in the future that I avidly aspire to positively influence with the help of my design education, from my current self in my exploratory stage of design, but most importantly, from my future self that will have gained exponential experience as a result of your kind hearted donation.