Faces of ENVD | Ali Beach
鈥淪he has gone out of her way to bring in speakers from around the world, work to get our studio a grant, and has extended so much of her time to our class. She has even looked for additional resources for our class to get better at sketching and adobe. Lastly, she has been so positive and personal during this rough time.鈥
鈥揊ellow Design Buff
Try to see the silver lining during this strange semester. I have heard of so many great ideas or new ways to nurture a community online. Continue thinking creatively about ways to connect and take this time to develop or refine digital skills. I also am a huge advocate to get outdoors, especially for mental health during such an abnormal semester. We are all in this together.
What is your faculty/staff position? Instructor, Architecture, Environmental Product Design, Visual Communication & Fabrication
Where are you from? Annapolis, Maryland (but, I spent nearly half of my childhood in England and Germany)
What inspired you to come and work for ENVD? I really enjoy teaching young designers and was particularly interested in teaching within a program that combines environmental awareness with multi-disciplinary design. Like many of our students, I too love spending time outdoors when not designing or teaching and try to bridge those aspects of my life together.
What do you miss the most about being in person on campus and ENVD? I really miss the spontaneous greetings or dropping by a studio pin-up during the day. In short, the people. ENVD is such a small community and in being so, students, faculty, and staff get to know each other.
What has been one of your favorite memories so far, this academic year? I don't have one favorite memory... But, I have enjoyed getting to know students through digital prompts, ideas, and photo sharing online. While we are not always in person, I feel like I still get to meet each student remotely in maybe ways that we haven't before.
What鈥檚 your go-to, non-Zoom activity when you get to take a break from your screen(s)? I can typically be found outside rock climbing in the warmer months and scouting new spots to ski in the winter. While several outdoor activities have always been a huge passion of mine, I am especially grateful to have access outside this term. I have also been drawing fairly often and contributed illustrations and design work to local nonprofits to promote environmental stewardship and advocacy such as the Boulder Climbing Community or the American Alpine Club. The combination of playing outside or illustrating for fun are both welcomed breaks from the screen.