profile / alumni / students / product-design / diversity
February 28, 2022
By Solvej Schou

STUDENT LEADERSHIP AWARD WINNER YANQI LI EMPOWERED OTHER STUDENTS TO TAKE ON NEW CHALLENGES

Playful and hardworking, Fall 2021 Student Leadership Award winner Yanqi Li (BS 21 Product Design) used her passion for sustainability and community to inspire others as a leader at ArtCenter.

Already equipped with a master’s degree in engineering, she thrived as a Product Design student, with the goal of being a bridge to connect designers with engineers, other creatives and the rest of the world. “We can be passionate, adventurous and confident, and together we can make a difference,” she said during her speech at Fall 2021 Graduation.

Li and her team in the Designmatters studio Strong Apart: Resilient + Connected conceptualized a welcoming outdoor experience, during the COVID-19 pandemic, for families in low-income areas. As co-president of the ArtCenter Branding Atelier, a Teaching Assistant, Orientation Leader, peer mentor and an active member of Eco+ Council and TEDxACCD, she empowered and advised other students at the College to take on new challenges with skill, empathy and courage.

Li also received awards, including the 2020 Core77 Design Awards’ Student Notable Speculative Design Award and 2021 iF Design Talent Award in Responsible Consumption, for ethically designed projects that have focused on human and social issues including health and wellbeing, accessibility and the environment.