Eowyn Boosinger

This is a photo of me (left) and my younger sister (right) taken at McDowell Creek Falls.

Degree: BS, Product Design

Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2024

2023 Scholarship
Tinker L. Hatfield Scholarship in Product Design

I Am Originally From Eugene, OR

WHY I CAME TO THE UO AND HOW I CHOSE MY MAJOR
The UO was my first choice for college because I grew up in Eugene and wanted to stay close to family, particularly my younger siblings. What I appreciate most about being in the College of Design is the access to hands-on studio classes and accompanying resources such as the woodshops and 3D printing lab.

I became interested in Product Design after first getting a job in the PSC Library MakerSpace at the UO Allan Price Science Library my freshman year. I  learned about the program from other Product Design students that I met there and who had a lot of great things to say about the program. I started taking as many prerequisites as I could and applied the following year.

UNIQUE QUALITIES I BRING TO MY STUDIES
Around age six or seven, one of the first things I ever made with my dad was a mechanized wooden duck. In middle school, he helped me build a vacuum-powered ping pong gun and in high school we renovated an old playhouse into my very own tiny home. My dad’s love of building is something he shared with me at a young age and that I have been able to take with me and foster during my time at the UO.

MY INFLUENTIAL PROFESSORS
After months of virtual classes, Tom Bonamici was the first product design professor I had the privilege to learn from in-person. I had become used to being fairly anonymous in virtual and lecture-based classes so being in a small in-person studio class for the first time I was feeling a bit insecure about presenting my work. What I really appreciated about Tom is that he not only provided very honest and insightful critiques but also made me feel comfortable contributing to the conversation. I left that class feeling more confident and excited to keep engaging with my classmates and professors.

MY EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
About two years ago I came across the UO Ballroom Dance Club and have been attending their weekly lessons and social dances ever since. Having been so nervous during my first lesson that my arms and legs started shaking I was hesitant to go back but it was absolutely worth it not only for the enjoyment that I now get from dancing but also for how it has impacted my confidence in all other areas of my life.

MY GREATEST LEARNING EXPERIENCE AT UO
By far, the greatest learning experiences I have had at the UO has been from the upper-level studio classes I took this past year, particularly the dinghy boat camping equipment design class. The design prompt was unique to anything I had encountered from my other classes and I had to learn a lot about boat camping in the process. I enjoyed the experience of designing for something I had no prior knowledge of, which also felt a lot more like what I might encounter when working as a professional designer after graduation.

AFTER GRADUATION
While I am confident that I am developing the skill set to be a successful designer, I do not yet have a clear career path in mind. As much as I have enjoyed my studio classes, there has yet to be one specific area of design that I gravitate towards. Rather it has been the constant introduction of new mediums and design challenges that I have enjoyed the most regardless of whether I have been designing furniture, kitchenware, or even nautical gear.

YOUR GIFT
It means a lot to not only be recognized for my work as a designer but to also be supported financially by this scholarship. Heading into my final year of the program in Portland there are a lot of expenses involved both in the classes I will be taking and moving to a new city. It is a comfort to be able to head into the Fall term with some savings and be able to focus more on class projects.

Thank you for the support you have given me and other young designers with this scholarship.