{"id":26079,"date":"2021-07-30T13:49:38","date_gmt":"2021-07-30T17:49:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/?page_id=26079"},"modified":"2025-06-27T13:54:01","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T17:54:01","slug":"student-personas","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/academics\/student-personas\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Personas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Early Career<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"ncst-fancy-paragraph-fifty is-text wp-block-ncst-fancy-paragraph\">\n                  <p class=\"fancy-paragraph__text fancy-paragraph-left\">\n            Grace Williams has 7 years of professional experience that includes internships with leading\u00a0brands and design houses. At present they are the Merchandising Manager, and have a passion for\u00a0brand research, product development, and product life-cycles. They have decided to pursue the\u00a0Doctor of Design to advance their career path and expertise in design development with a\u00a0research-specific focus. They are interested in sourcing and upcycling sustainable materials in\u00a0ways that are also practical and profitable for business.\n          <\/p>\n                \n<div class=\"wp-block-ncst-fp-accompaniment\">\n    \n<aside class=\"floated-spotlight-aside-container\">\n  <div class=\"floated-spotlight-contents\">\n    <div class=\"ncst-content-card wp-block-ncst-fp-spotlight-card has-custombg-five-background-color with-image with-cta\">\n  \n\n          <div class=\"content-card__image-container\">\n        <div class=\"content-card__image-background\">\n          <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"437\" height=\"437\"\n            class=\"content-card__image wp-image-26087\"\n            alt=\"early-career-persona-grace\"\n            src=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/07\/early-career-persona-grace.jpg\"\n            style=\"aspect-ratio: 16\/9; object-fit: cover; object-position: 48% 34%\"\n srcset=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/07\/early-career-persona-grace.jpg 437w, https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/07\/early-career-persona-grace-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/07\/early-career-persona-grace-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 437px) 100vw, 437px\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"content-card__text-container\">\n      \n                        <h3 class=\"content-card__headline\">Grace Williams<\/h3>\n              \n\n              \n\t      \t        <p class=\"content-card__teaser\">Age 33, Single with no children<\/p>\n\t      \t    \n          <\/div>\n\n  <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n              <\/div>\n      \n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>BFA with concentration in Fine Art; MBA in International Business Studies and Product Development<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>7 years of professional experience, including internships with leading brands and design houses (all facets of each business unit)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Currently is the merchandising manager with a national brand<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Has a passion for brand research, product development, and product life-cycle management<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rationale<\/strong>: Pursuing DDes to advance her career path and expertise in design development&nbsp;with a research-specific focus<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Early Career<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"ncst-fancy-paragraph-fifty is-text wp-block-ncst-fancy-paragraph\">\n                  <p class=\"fancy-paragraph__text fancy-paragraph-left\">\n            Kenneth Kihlstrom has 15 years of experience in design firms, with a specialized focus in\u00a0healthcare and retirement facilities\/interiors. He earned a Master\u2019s degree in Architecture\u00a0specializing in design, health, and wellbeing, and is now a senior associate with a leading\u00a0architecture firm. Certified for LEED\/WELL AP, he is active in the professional community\u00a0interested in health and design issues for the aging. Kenneth chose the Doctor of Design\u00a0program to help him deepen his design expertise. The online distance education structure\u00a0allows him to balance his already busy lifestyle while adding credentials to move him forward in\u00a0firm leadership.\n          <\/p>\n                \n<div class=\"wp-block-ncst-fp-accompaniment\">\n    \n<aside class=\"floated-spotlight-aside-container\">\n  <div class=\"floated-spotlight-contents\">\n    <div class=\"ncst-content-card wp-block-ncst-fp-spotlight-card has-custombg-five-background-color with-image with-cta\">\n  \n\n          <div class=\"content-card__image-container\">\n        <div class=\"content-card__image-background\">\n          <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"437\" height=\"437\"\n            class=\"content-card__image wp-image-26093\"\n            alt=\"early-career-persona-kenneth\"\n            src=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/07\/early-career-persona-kenneth.jpg\"\n            style=\"aspect-ratio: 16\/9; object-fit: cover; object-position: 48% 28%\"\n srcset=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/07\/early-career-persona-kenneth.jpg 437w, https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/07\/early-career-persona-kenneth-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/07\/early-career-persona-kenneth-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 437px) 100vw, 437px\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"content-card__text-container\">\n      \n                        <h3 class=\"content-card__headline\">Kenneth Kihlstrom<\/h3>\n              \n\n              \n\t      \t        <p class=\"content-card__teaser\">Age 38, newly married with no children<\/p>\n\t      \t    \n          <\/div>\n\n  <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n              <\/div>\n      \n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Master\u2019s degree in Architecture with an interest in design health and wellbeing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>15 years of professional experience in design firms specializing in healthcare and retirement facilities and interiors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Currently is senior associate with a leading architecture firm; certified LEED\/WELL AP<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Member of AIA; active in professional knowledge community around health and design issues for the aging<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rationale<\/strong>: Wants to deepen his expertise in translating and applying principles of design for&nbsp;improving health and wellbeing, and also move forward in firm leadership<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mid Career<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"ncst-fancy-paragraph-fifty is-text wp-block-ncst-fancy-paragraph\">\n                  <p class=\"fancy-paragraph__text fancy-paragraph-left\">\n            Vincent Martinez has spent the last 20 years pursuing various career paths, including as a\u00a0Museum Archivist and Art Director. He is now a Creative Director for a local graphic design firm,\u00a0and occasionally takes on freelance opportunities. A few nights each week he teaches\u00a0photography at his local community college; during the summer he coaches a kids\u2019 soccer team.\u00a0Vincent would like to develop innovative techniques in digital photography but has no extra time\u00a0to commit to a full-time residential Ph.D. program. The Doctor of Design program allows him\u00a0enough flexibility to pursue his doctoral degree part time while balancing an active work, family,\u00a0and professional life.\n          <\/p>\n                \n<div class=\"wp-block-ncst-fp-accompaniment\">\n    \n<aside class=\"floated-spotlight-aside-container\">\n  <div class=\"floated-spotlight-contents\">\n    <div class=\"ncst-content-card wp-block-ncst-fp-spotlight-card has-custombg-three-background-color with-image with-cta\">\n  \n\n          <div class=\"content-card__image-container\">\n        <div class=\"content-card__image-background\">\n          <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"437\" height=\"437\"\n            class=\"content-card__image wp-image-26095\"\n            alt=\"mid-career-vincent\"\n            src=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/07\/mid-career-vincent.jpg\"\n            style=\"aspect-ratio: 16\/9; object-fit: cover; object-position: 49% 21%\"\n srcset=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/07\/mid-career-vincent.jpg 437w, https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/07\/mid-career-vincent-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/07\/mid-career-vincent-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 437px) 100vw, 437px\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"content-card__text-container\">\n      \n                        <h3 class=\"content-card__headline\">Vincent Martinez<\/h3>\n              \n\n              \n\t      \t        <p class=\"content-card__teaser\">Age 45, Married with two children<\/p>\n\t      \t    \n          <\/div>\n\n  <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n              <\/div>\n      \n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>BA in Art History; MGD \/ Masters in Graphic Design; PMP (Project Management Professional); Additional course work in photography, videography, and UX design<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>20 years of professional experience, including Museum Archivist, Art Director, Creative Director and freelance designer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Teaches photography at the local community college<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Member of AIGA, and an active member of the local design community<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rationale<\/strong>: As a busy working father he is looking to expand his credentials without committing&nbsp;to a full-time residential Ph.D. program (balance work, life, education)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mid Career<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"ncst-fancy-paragraph-fifty is-text wp-block-ncst-fancy-paragraph\">\n                  <p class=\"fancy-paragraph__text fancy-paragraph-left\">\n            Felicia Matthews has devoted much of her career to developing and cultivating the communities\u00a0she lives in. Her 25+ years of professional experience first began in social work, and with\u00a0additional education she was able to move into the role of a volunteer coordinator for a local\u00a0nonprofit organization. She now owns and operates her own business in her small rural\u00a0community. Through her service as a Town Council board member and community leader she\u00a0was able to initiate a revitalization effort for her town that will accommodate growing demand for\u00a0area tourism and better opportunities for the small businesses within the community. Felicia is\u00a0exploring the Doctor of Design program to identify effective case studies where public arts\u00a0stimulated equitable design and economic revitalization.\n          <\/p>\n                \n<div class=\"wp-block-ncst-fp-accompaniment\">\n    \n<aside class=\"floated-spotlight-aside-container\">\n  <div class=\"floated-spotlight-contents\">\n    <div class=\"ncst-content-card wp-block-ncst-fp-spotlight-card has-custombg-three-background-color with-image with-cta\">\n  \n\n          <div class=\"content-card__image-container\">\n        <div class=\"content-card__image-background\">\n          <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"437\" height=\"437\"\n            class=\"content-card__image wp-image-26100\"\n            alt=\"mid-career-persona-felicia\"\n            src=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/07\/mid-career-persona-felicia.jpg\"\n            style=\"aspect-ratio: 16\/9; object-fit: cover; object-position: 48% 23%\"\n srcset=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/07\/mid-career-persona-felicia.jpg 437w, https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/07\/mid-career-persona-felicia-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/07\/mid-career-persona-felicia-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 437px) 100vw, 437px\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"content-card__text-container\">\n      \n                        <h3 class=\"content-card__headline\">Felicia Matthews<\/h3>\n              \n\n              \n\t      \t        <p class=\"content-card__teaser\">Age 51, Divorced with three adult children<\/p>\n\t      \t    \n          <\/div>\n\n  <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n              <\/div>\n      \n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>BA in Sociology, BA in Art &amp; Design, MS in Nonprofit Studies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>25+ years of professional experience; Early career working as a social worker; Volunteer coordinator for a nonprofit; Small business owner; Social entrepreneur<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Active community leader, Active volunteer, Town Council Board member<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Initiated revitalization of the small rural community she lives in<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rationale<\/strong>: As a passionate member of her community she is exploring the DDes program to&nbsp;better define her research interests in public arts, equitable design, and economic revitalization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Late Career<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"ncst-fancy-paragraph-fifty is-text wp-block-ncst-fancy-paragraph\">\n                  <p class=\"fancy-paragraph__text fancy-paragraph-left\">\n            Environmental sustainability has been a priority throughout Philip Chen\u2019s career. He has\u00a0thirty-five plus years of experience working within his local government, and currently serves as\u00a0the Executive Director for Economic Planning and Development. He is an active member of\u00a0several municipal organizations and chapter president of his local community-supported farm.\u00a0Philip\u2019s goals are to collaborate with professionals and academics to explore best practices for\u00a0economic planning which take environmental sustainability into consideration. The Doctor of\u00a0Design program is a perfect fit as he doesn\u2019t want to pursue a full-time PhD, and wants the\u00a0flexibility to continue working while conducting his research efforts.\n          <\/p>\n                \n<div class=\"wp-block-ncst-fp-accompaniment\">\n    \n<aside class=\"floated-spotlight-aside-container\">\n  <div class=\"floated-spotlight-contents\">\n    <div class=\"ncst-content-card wp-block-ncst-fp-spotlight-card has-custombg-two-background-color with-image with-cta\">\n  \n\n          <div class=\"content-card__image-container\">\n        <div class=\"content-card__image-background\">\n          <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"437\" height=\"437\"\n            class=\"content-card__image wp-image-26097\"\n            alt=\"late-career-persona-philip\"\n            src=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/07\/late-career-persona-philip.jpg\"\n            style=\"aspect-ratio: 16\/9; object-fit: cover; object-position: 48% 18%\"\n srcset=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/07\/late-career-persona-philip.jpg 437w, https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/07\/late-career-persona-philip-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/07\/late-career-persona-philip-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 437px) 100vw, 437px\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"content-card__text-container\">\n      \n                        <h3 class=\"content-card__headline\">Philip Chen<\/h3>\n              \n\n              \n\t      \t        <p class=\"content-card__teaser\">Age 58, Married with two adult children who both have\u00a0advanced degrees<\/p>\n\t      \t    \n          <\/div>\n\n  <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n              <\/div>\n      \n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Arch, MLA, Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>35+ years of professional experience; Much of his career has been within local government and currently serves as Executive Director with Economic Planning and Development<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Active member of several municipal organizations and chapter president of the local community farm (food-producing garden)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Environmental sustainability is a priority<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rationale<\/strong>: His goals are to collaborate with other professionals and academics, and explore&nbsp;existing best practices for economic planning which take environmental sustainability into&nbsp;consideration. The DDes program is a perfect fit as he doesn\u2019t want to pursue a full-time Ph.D.&nbsp;and wants the flexibility to continue working while conducting his research efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Early Career Rationale: Pursuing DDes to advance her career path and expertise in design development&nbsp;with a research-specific focus Early Career Rationale: Wants to deepen his expertise in translating and applying principles of design for&nbsp;improving health and wellbeing, and also move forward in firm leadership Mid Career Rationale: As a busy working father he is looking&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"parent":3254,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"backgroundColor\":\"red_400\",\"pageIntro\":\"Wondering if the Doctor of Design program is right for you? Take a look at these\u00a0Doctor of Design student profiles\u00a0to see what types of professionals enroll in the program.\"}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-26079","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26079"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26079\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33324,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26079\/revisions\/33324"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/doctor-of-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}