Sarah North

Describe what you do for work and how your experience with it has been.

I'm an instructor in the School of Design at Dunwoody College and have been teaching for almost 5 years. I have also been a commercial interior designer for over two decades and am passionate about the industry and our impacts on human life. Hopefully that translates to engaging with students about the importance of design and it's value to the world.

How did you get your job?

Networking event where I saw a previous teacher and she asked if I might ever want to teach a class!

What inspires you/your work?

I get excited to being new and engaging content to my students. I appreciate continued learning and also making work (teaching design at Dunwoody) fun!

How do you network yourself and your art?

I don't actively network, but I maintain a network built over 25 years working in creative fields. These professionals might be friends or colleagues, and are my go-tos for student critiquers for my classes. My art is my design work and it is housed on my website or built.

What was your experience living in the Twin Cities? Any hidden treasures?

Minnesota is awesome and I'm from here!

How did you hear about MCAD?

Fellow colleagues.

Why did you choose to earn an MA at MCAD?

Program topic and online option.

What was your biggest takeaway from the program?

Awesome classmates and professors that really care about the environment and making sustainable changes in their industry.

Where were you located when you completed the program?

Minnesota.

What was the online education like?

It worked great with being a mom and having a full time job. Sometimes teachers wanted you to get work done at the beginning of the week, and the more seasoned teachers would have a check-in on a Thursday and then the assignments due on Sundays.

How has the MA impacted your career/your life?

In order for me to teach at Dunwoody, I needed to get my masters within a certain timeframe. It has provided me with great learning that I have applied to my classes as an educator and also helped me to become so much more curious about life and travel!

How do you incorporate sustainability into your everyday life? What advice do you have for others to do the same?

I bring sustainability into my life by composting, gardening, and sharing plants with my neighbors. I bring sustainability into my job by having students research safer materials for their design projects, and having them think about the lifecycles of the products and selections they choose.

What would you tell students considering pursuing an MA degree in Sustainable Design?

You need to be ready to persevere through moments of doubt.

Lastly, do you have a favorite interview question we didn't ask? Share the question and your answer!

I think it's really important to plan for people working full time and having flexibility with assignment due dates. I had teachers mention that they wanted students to submit by tues or weds, and frankly that is not enough time for people with jobs, kids, and other priorities. So my question would be... How did you make it all work? How did you keep going after you read hours of academic journals? How did you stay creative with academic rigor?