Julio Correa is a senior in Design (with a double major in Computer Science) in the School of Design and Creative Technologies.
Why did you choose your majors?
I fell in love with design when I was a junior in college while majoring in computer science. I was taking a course in visual communication, a graphic design course, and had just taken architecture and society. I realized that design and computer science intersected. I felt that design could help people interact with computers in meaningful ways and saw it as a natural extension of my studies in computer science. I called COFA advising and it was the first semester they were accepting internal transfers, so I added design as a second major and was part of the first cohort of transfer students into the program.
What's been your biggest surprise in the Design program?
The faculty are incredible. Their level of investment in you as a student and designer was not something I expected, but something for which I'm extremely grateful. Even though I only spent the last 2 years of my college experience in the design program, I feel a sense of belonging in the program.
Honorable Mention: The variety of mediums you work in. I made work that ranged from architectural design, to service design, to graphic design.
What project are you most proud of during your time at UT, and why?
I'm most proud of a project I worked on while I was studying abroad at Glasgow School of Art. I called it Milk & Cereal and it was an interactive sculpture that used wireless micro controllers to turn a servo and make a mallet hit a glockenspiel bar, resulting in a ding. It was useless and fun.
What do you hope to do after graduation?
I'm not sure yet. I want to keep getting better at design. The more I work professionally, the more I realize I still have a lot to learn. I would love to do work that lies at the intersection of the digital and physical and want to work at a company that values design and practices it responsibly. In the long-term, I would like to go to graduate school, design for positive social impact, and create humane technology.
Any advice for incoming freshmen in the Design major?
Here are a couple pieces of advice:
1: Ask a lot of questions and be curious.
1.1: Be a sponge.
1.2: Make friends in other majors and ask them about what they are reading for class / what they are learning about.
1.3: Go to lectures outside of class (the school of design and the school of architecture usually have some really great guest speakers).
1.4: Take a couple classes in other disciplines such as Computer Science (CS), Architecture (ARC), Communication Studies (CMS), Information Studies (INF), Psychology (PSY), etc, etc.
2: Be nice. Be humble.
3: Go to class (and be present / participate / put your cell phone away).
4: Read for class (and for fun).
5: Make an effort to be focused. Manage your time and attention carefully. We have glowing boxes in our pockets that make it really hard to get things done.
6: Read this advice from Corita Kent (I wish I had as a freshman).