Class of 2020: Paige Lafferty
Paige Lafferty an environmental product design major from Massachusetts credits ENVD for allowing her to explore different areas of design before choosing a path she felt most confident with.
“Paige inspires me with her passion for life and getting the most out of it! She has a strong passion for the environment and cares extremely about people, animals, nature, plants...whether it has a heartbeat or not Paige will care about them. She is filled with empathy! She puts her ALL into her work both as a student and a human being! SHE IS A WONDERFUL person both inside and out.†–A²Ô´Ç²Ô²â³¾´Ç³Ü²õ
I know none of us will forget the times we have spent in ENVD over the past four years, and I hope that we can move forward from this tragic and disappointing situation and bring our innovation and creativity out to the world! I will miss being inspired by all of you and hope we will stay in touch :)
What inspired you to come to ENVD?
When I was searching for a program, I was initially undecided about what my major would be. I had visited The University of Florida where we had to pick a major off the bat, and with my background working at plant shops and nurseries I landed on Landscape Design. Though the program inspired me, the school was not the right fit. Coming to CU Boulder just felt so right: the location is unbeatable and the ENVD program allowed me to explore multiple sectors of design before choosing the right path for myself, and knowing sustainability is a large pillar of the curriculum was a huge draw for me.
What will you miss the most?
ENVD is such a tight-knit community with access to amazing fabrication equipment and software. These maker spaces and all of the creative energy within them is such a core element of ENVD that I will definitely miss.
Favorite memory?
Jade Polizzi’s design-build class at the Lama Foundation was the most memorable moment I have had in my college years. Collaborating with students with different design focuses, backgrounds, all at different levels of experience and education gave me such insight, and participating in group activities together created a family-like bond. The amount of gratification of designing something and building it over the course of a few weeks was also incomparable, especially considering we were building a structure that will serve a community for years to come in New Mexico.
What are your plans beyond graduation?
I will be staying in Boulder for a few more years taking advantage of each great opportunity this place presents me with!