Ex Nelson College for Girls student helps us understand mental health
For Sarah Mokhtar, a former Nelson College for Girls pupil, deciding which university to choose wasn’t something she took lightly. Sarah wanted to find the best place to study design, an interest that had been kindled at secondary school.
“Back at high school, when I was looking at all the different universities in New Zealand, I found that Victoria University was the best school for design and architecture and that’s where I wanted to specialise,” says Sarah.
When she first came to Victoria at 17, Sarah let her creative juices flow.
“I had all sorts of strange design ideas, so when I started designing things in my first year, they were a little bit left field.”
Despite her unorthodox tendencies, Sarah’s lecturers were supportive and encouraging.
“They definitely make sure that their students are within the bounds, but also creating things that are quite different and ground breaking.”
Sarah completed an undergraduate degree in Interior Architecture before taking a design turn, completing a Graduate Diploma in Design Innovation and then embarking on a Master of Design Innovation.
As part of her Master’s, Sarah, who has an older sister with schizophrenia, developed a downloadable app and wearable technology scarf that simulates what it’s like to hear voices.
“When I decided to do my Master’s, I thought, what are the biggest challenges I’ve had in my life and how could I resolve them with design? So that’s why I landed on this idea, from wanting to help family members of people with schizophrenia understand what it’s like.”
Having attended a workshop as a teenager, which involved listening to a simulation of voices heard by a schizophrenic person, Sarah partnered with the organiser to develop the scarf and app. They both respond to the environment, creating a distracting experience for users as they go about their everyday activities.
She says completing her Master’s has been life changing. “It’s definitely allowed me to grow as a person and understand my strengths and weaknesses. I also appreciate who I am and that I can achieve more than I would have thought.
“Victoria University has really helped me to nurture my personal project and has extended me. Victoria definitely helped me to produce the final outcome that I wanted.”
Having completed her Master’s study, Sarah has returned home to Nelson to decide on her next move.
On top of her achievements in design, Sarah has been chosen as one of eight Victoria student ambassadors this year. You can find out more about Sarah and watch a video about her at www.victoria.ac.nz/sarah
For Sarah Mokhtar, a former Nelson College for Girls pupil, deciding which university to choose wasn’t something she took lightly. Sarah wanted to find the best place to study design, an interest that had been kindled at secondary school.
“Back at high school, when I was looking at all the different universities in New Zealand, I found that Victoria University was the best school for design and architecture and that’s where I wanted to specialise,” says Sarah.
When she first came to Victoria at 17, Sarah let her creative juices flow.
“I had all sorts of strange design ideas, so when I started designing things in my first year, they were a little bit left field.”
Despite her unorthodox tendencies, Sarah’s lecturers were supportive and encouraging.
“They definitely make sure that their students are within the bounds, but also creating things that are quite different and ground breaking.”
Sarah completed an undergraduate degree in Interior Architecture before taking a design turn, completing a Graduate Diploma in Design Innovation and then embarking on a Master of Design Innovation.
As part of her Master’s, Sarah, who has an older sister with schizophrenia, developed a downloadable app and wearable technology scarf that simulates what it’s like to hear voices.
“When I decided to do my Master’s, I thought, what are the biggest challenges I’ve had in my life and how could I resolve them with design? So that’s why I landed on this idea, from wanting to help family members of people with schizophrenia understand what it’s like.”
Having attended a workshop as a teenager, which involved listening to a simulation of voices heard by a schizophrenic person, Sarah partnered with the organiser to develop the scarf and app. They both respond to the environment, creating a distracting experience for users as they go about their everyday activities.
She says completing her Master’s has been life changing. “It’s definitely allowed me to grow as a person and understand my strengths and weaknesses. I also appreciate who I am and that I can achieve more than I would have thought.
“Victoria University has really helped me to nurture my personal project and has extended me. Victoria definitely helped me to produce the final outcome that I wanted.”
Having completed her Master’s study, Sarah has returned home to Nelson to decide on her next move.
On top of her achievements in design, Sarah has been chosen as one of eight Victoria student ambassadors this year. You can find out more about Sarah and watch a video about her at www.victoria.ac.nz/sarah