AOD Class of 2020, graduating in a pivotal moment of time
View(s):Throughout the length of 2020 and during the lockdowns that followed the Covid-19 pandemic, AOD was able to seamlessly transform into a virtual campus, taking all its resources and learning experiences to the digital realm, and successfully continuing the operations of its many degrees courses online.
This seamless shift became a true display of what built AOD’s reputation as a radical innovator with agility and foresight and the resilience and determination of the emerging design talent it nurtures, to push through and successfully complete their design degrees.
As such, the class of 2020 of AOD was able to graduate as planned on time, producing a batch of designers that are ever more ready to take on the new world.
The convocation ceremony was opened with the welcoming note by Dr. Linda Speldewinde, Founder and Chairperson of AOD. She acknowledged the turbulent period the Academy along with its students went through and commended how openly the transition to a virtual campus happened. “I am so proud, and grateful for everyone who believed in AOD and believed that we did the right thing at the right time when the pandemic broke out. If not, we would not be celebrating a graduating batch today”
“AOD took firm and difficult decisions to ensure that the class of 2020, doesn’t graduate a day later than planned. We knew waiting is not going to benefit anyone and the future you would step into will be a different one” Sharing her thoughts on the future with the young graduates, Linda shared that she believes the future will be one greater than what it would have been, if not for the pandemic and as creatives and as designers who are not afraid to innovate, how the world will better receive the young changemakers and innovators who are comfortable and thrive during a turbulent ride.
The convocation ceremony was graced by the EU Ambassador in Sri Lanka, H.E Denis Chaibi as the Guest of Honour who sincerely congratulated the graduates while sharing some insightful takeaways on leveraging their creative talent which makes them unique. He conveyed three key learning with the audience of budding designers, proud parents, friends and family – a reminder on the time left to create a change, the importance of being driven by love and passion than by fear and embracing failure as a part of life and a learning that defines who you are.
Looking inwards at Sri Lanka, His Excellency also captured the unique opportunities the island offers to designers and creatives, the role and contribution they could offer the world and how much they could draw inspiration from their own surroundings. Through experience and learnings from the EU, he also shared how design organizations and individuals could use design to tackle important and relevant issues like climate change and sustainability.
AOD students are especially exposed to local culture, heritage crafts and sustainability and for most, it becomes a part of their design journeys. The Annual Graduate Exhibition ‘Reveal’ and the Mercedes Benz Fashion Talents, provide them the platform to showcase themselves as emerging Design Talent encompassing all they learnt and gained through their undergraduate period, to the industry. This year was no different. The graduating class in fact was able to pull through curating an exhibition and showing their work amidst all the obstacles the pandemic brought about. The Reveal Graduate Exhibition and the Mercedes Benz Fashion Talents were featured at Sri Lanka Design Festival 2021 which is also a national initiative organized and conceptualized by AOD. It was the country’s first virtual design festival which attracted over 15,000 views from around the world for its content bringing much more visibility to the amazing design talent in the country.
The graduating class of 2020, especially in a field like design, is to be much commended for the monumental accomplishment in their life, completing their degree, showcasing their work in a virtual and physical hybrid exhibition, in an incredibly difficult and challenging year. AOD takes pride in the achievement of its graduating class as it is one that means so much more because it was through persevering in a unique landscape that no one in this lifetime has ever experienced.
For more information, and to start a direct conversation on the ongoing 2020/2021 enrollments for AOD’s Fashion, Fashion Marketing & Design, Interior Design, Visual Communication, Motion Graphics and Animation degrees, reach AOD Colombo on 0775727772, email info@aod.lk or walk in between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday – Colombo Innovation Tower, No 477, R A De Mel mawatha, Colombo 4 www.aod.lk