Meet the Class of 2023
Erika Choe
Erika is a multi-disciplinary designer based in New York City. Before PoD, Erika worked as a strategic designer at branding and marketing agencies, working closely with startups and VC firms like Noom, Qapital, Javits Center, and Story Ventures. She has also independently developed brand strategy and visual systems in rebrands for New Lab-based company 10xBeta, SaaS company Ginkgo, and Mississippi Electric Co-op PRVEPA. Erika graduated from the University of Virginia with honors and supplemented her design training from Parsons, SAIC, and IDEO U. Her thesis, Preserving Humanness: Where Bodies and Technology Meet, was presented in May 2023.
Website: erikachoe.com
Corey McClelland
Corey is the Associate Director of Interaction Design at Kettle in New York City. Originally from Southern California, he holds a BFA from Cal Poly Pomona's College of Environmental Design. Previously, Corey was the Associate Design Director at frog, and before that, he lead the design team at Walt Disney Imagineering. While at MFA Products of Design, Corey actively prototyped objects, environments, and interfaces for human spaceflight. During his graduate studies, he joined Teague, where he worked with Axiom Space to design the next space station to replace the ISS. Corey's thesis, Beyond the Right Stuff: Designing for Disability Inclusion in Space, was presented in May 2023.
Website: coreymcc.xyz
Arshlavi Auleear
Arshlavi is a Product Strategist at Code and Theory in New York City. Born and raised on Mauritius Island before moving to NYC, she received a Bachelor of Architecture from NYiT School of Architecture and Design. After graduating, Arshlavi spent three years working on various large-scale residential and commercial projects for the NYC Department of Buildings. She also has experience working as a freelance photographer and product designer for numerous Mauritius and New York brands, including Amazon Ads. Her thesis, From Margin To Center: Empowering Women in Creative Industries, was presented in May 2023.
Website: arshi-designs.myportfolio.com
Charvi Shrimali
Charvi is a Creative Strategist at Riffle Ventures in New York City. Born and raised in Jaipur, India, she graduated from Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore, majoring in visual communication and strategic branding. Before joining MFA Products of Design, Charvi worked as an Art Director, Photographer, and Creative Consultant for various brands, ranging from hospitality to textiles. In the summer after her first semester at PoD, Charvi gained experience as a Design Researcher and Strategist Intern at Frontier Design Group where she worked with clients such as Eventbrite, The Carter Center, and Habitat for Humanity International. Charvi's thesis, How India Looks: Localizing Design Tools for a Billion People, explores the rapidly expanding landscape of visual design in India and the accompanying challenges.
Website: charvishrimali.com
Kaylan Tran
Kaylan is an NYC-based designer, born and raised in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to Chinese parents. Growing up in a multicultural environment and learning three different languages simultaneously, she developed a sensitivity to identifying systems and patterns. Before joining MFA Products of Design, Kaylan earned her undergraduate degrees in Business and Graphic Design and worked at various studios, including Gretel and Athletics. Besides design, animal welfare is another one of her greatest callings. Kaylan has been fostering consistently for three years and currently helps run a small Queens-based cat rescue group. Her thesis research focuses on broadening access into the design industry for newcomers from under-represented groups.
Jose Achi Martin
Jose is an Eyewear Designer at Luxottica in New York City. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he attended the Savannah College of Art and Design, where he earned his BFA in Industrial Design. Before joining the MFA Products of Design program, Jose participated as an industrial designer in an exclusive collaborative program with TRANE and SCAD, designing future AC devices. Jose has also worked in furniture and interior design while interning at Design in Puerto Rico LLC. Jose also gained experience interning with Marchon Eyewear in New York City, designing performance sunglasses for brands including Nike and Converse. His thesis, Mods, studies the benefits of adaptive gaming for people with motor skill disabilities and explores industry-changing ideas that combat ableism in today's gaming landscape.
Website: josemartindesigns.com
Nihaarika Arora
Nihaarika is a multidisciplinary designer and material enthusiast. She graduated from Parsons School of Design with a Bachelor's in industrial design and a minor in communication design. She has 3+ years of work experience and specializes in consumer product manufacturing. Living between two diverse metropolitan cities—Mumbai and New York—her work hopes to create hybrids between the natural and built environments to generate a positive impact on society. Her knowledge in design and technology, psychology, and systems thinking encourages her to co-create with communities to actively engage them in ecological practices. As a second-year student, she is researching the future of food systems to reimagine diversity in food supply chains and encourage sustainable eating.
Website: nihaarika-designs.com
Monica Albornoz
Monica is an experience and service designer who puts human-centered research at the forefront. Born and raised in Bogota, Colombia, she has worked in production and innovation at local ceramic studios, as well as in digital marketing and graphic design for e-commerce businesses and emerging technology startups. Monica's experience includes branding and UX for Xanadu, a cutting-edge quantum computing company, and production of handmade dinnerware for Michelin-starred restaurants. She has freelanced with business management consultancies to help them translate abstract ideas into visual stories. Monica's thesis, Pasos: Design Interventions for Gendered Agency in Latin Partner Dance, explores ways to break gender norms in cosmopolitan partner dance.
Website: monicaalbornoz.com
Giancarlo Cipri
Giancarlo is a New York City-based designer. Before joining MFA Products of Design, Giancarlo completed a BS from Fordham University in Business Administration and Finance. Giancarlo created Collective Mind, a mood board of more than 500 juxtapositions for "seemingly incompatible things." His work as Art Director for the Nicholas Raefski fashion label has been highlighted in The New York Times, Vogue, and GQ. He also has collaborated with Bing Lee Studio at MoMA PS1. As a graduate student, Giancarlo developed the MoMA Sliding Perpetual Calendar as part of MFA Product of Design's partnership with MoMA's wholesale division—it is now available for purchase worldwide. Giancarlo's thesis questions what it means to produce and is at the intersection of interactive art and philosophy.
Website: greatestgee.com
Sarah Hackett
Sarah grew up in Connecticut and received her bachelor's degree in Psychology at the University of Richmond in Virginia. After graduating, she moved to San Francisco, where she worked at different nonprofits before transitioning into a career in advertising. Over the next few years, Sarah gained art direction experience at various ad agencies, including DDB, FCB, and Martin. Her work has been featured in Adweek, and she received a D&AD New Blood Award. In her free time, Sarah pursues projects that seek to highlight issues in our culture, including the gender pay gap. Passionate about finding more purpose in her daily work, she switched from selling products to designing them. For Sarah's thesis research, she studies how humor and playfulness can help adults become more resilient.
Website: ialwayshackett.com
Jaemin Cho
Jaemin is a New York-based Product Designer who enjoys translating complex business needs and ambiguity into crystal-clear design solutions. Originally from South Korea, he earned his bachelor's degree in Industrial & Information Design at Korea University. After graduation, Jaemin worked as a Product Designer at several companies in Seoul, including LG CNS and NAVER. He has designed a range of contexts, including music streaming apps, messenger apps, conversational artificial intelligence, and dashboards. Jaemin's thesis, Beyond the Visuals: Reimagining Digital Accessibility for Blind and Low-Vision Communities, investigates the pressing question of how blind and visually impaired (BLV) users can read and interact with digital images in the post-text era dominated by images.
Website: jaemincho.com
Cathy Tung
Cathy is a Product Designer at Vanilla in New York City. Originally from Taiwan with a background in marketing and management, she's especially interested in the intersection of psychology and user experience design and how it can be utilized to integrate technology into people's lives and improve system efficiency. Before joining the MFA Products of Design, Cathy worked as a project manager in digital-first design agencies, where she collaborated with interdisciplinary teams composed of researchers, strategists, designers, and full-stack engineers. She has designed for Ford, Logitech, Michelin, Quidel, and TED. Cathy's thesis, Well-rounded: Using Art to Enhance Interdisciplinary Learning, sheds light on the potential of art-integrated education to promote the development of hard and soft skills in children.
Website: cathytung.design
Xinyue Wu
Xinyue is a New York-based industrial/experience designer with a talent for crafting innovative solutions. Born and raised in Zhejiang, China, she attended Hainan University, where she studied management and marketing. After graduating, she gained experience as a product designer at a pet company. So far, she has 26 national patents, with designs including tableware, storage racks, and adjustable cat bowls. Some of the patented products that Xinyue has designed are currently available on the market. Her thesis, Xinyue: Delight in the Everyday, offers simple, affordable solutions to transform ordinary experiences into delightful ones.
Website: xynewdesign.com
Cheryl Zhang
Cheryl is a Visual Designer at IF STUDIO in New York City. Born in Vancouver and raised in Beijing, she graduated with honors from Parsons School of Design, where she received a BFA in Communication Design. During her undergraduate studies, Cheryl focused chiefly on branding, editorial, and typography design. She has also worked as a packaging designer in a startup company, Amlat LLC., where she designed a series of packaging for children's products and continues to expand the line. Cheryl's thesis, Temporal Illusions: Distorting Our Perceptions Of Time, investigates the phenomenon of why time seemingly passes slower when we are younger, compared to the sensation of "time flying" as we grow older.
Website: cherylz.com