Mana Koike: Ready to lead in an unexpected world

Product Design graduate Mana Koike, graduating with honors, a minor in Designmatters and as the Spring 2020 Student Leadership Award recipient, grew up splitting her time between Tokyo and Boston.

She was recognized for her willingness to take on challenges of increasing responsibility and growing as a designer and leader during her time at ArtCenter. On campus, she worked on the Summer 2018 initiative that encouraged graduates to reduce waste and make smart materials choices in creating, installing and removing their grad show exhibits.

Following the advice of then department chair, now Provost, Karen Hofmann, Mana joined a Designmatters study away program in Shanghai China, where she was hailed as a true leader by organizers and an advocate of the program on her return to campus. Mana credits her participation in the Portland Footwear Design program with teaching her to “manage up, manage down, manage around.” There, she experienced the challenges of leading a team, ultimately steering the multidisciplinary group to create high-level concepts to present to professional designers in the athletic industry. Returning to campus, she recalls, “I was a completely different person in the best possible way and I shared my excitement and gratitude in info sessions, where I spoke about my personal growth and encouraged others to not be afraid of taking risks.”

Described as being respectful of others and sensitive to the nuances within a group or with individual, faculty members observed Mana’s peers and teammates looking to her for direction and leadership. Serving as a teaching assistant and peer mentor, she dedicated time inside and outside the classroom to help her fellow students find their true voice.

Mana has dreamed of becoming a designer since she was ten years old. “Now,” she says, “thanks to ArtCenter, I’ve become more than just a designer. I’ve become a critical thinker, an empathetic team player and a confident leader.”