Amanda Gaensler
Senior - class of 2023
I really didn’t know what I was going to do after high school. I originally considered dentistry but I was never a math or science kind of person. I always had a passion for art but didn’t necessarily want to study fine arts. My parents had a big influence on design in my life. Being immigrants from Sweden they always encouraged minimalist but unique design and did so by surrounding me with products from Scandinavian designers like Arne Jacobsen.
As I became more interested in cosmetics and how these items were designed, I started narrowing in on wanting to study Industrial/Product design.
This is where the Product Design program at Montclair State University came to light. After going to the open house and accepted students day and hearing what Dr. Denis Feigler had to say about the program, I was convinced it was for me.
Starting the program I was a bit intimidated since I did have some fine arts background, but this kind of sketching and process was unique and not something that I was taught in the past. Working with my peers and the professors I was able to improve more and more throughout the years and develop skills that I never thought I’d be able to do. This program really pushed my limits to what I believed I was capable of and proved to myself that I could be successful with this as a career.
I could not have done this without my professors of course but especially Dr. Feigler, the head of the department. Dr. Feigler truly cares about his students success and really pushed me to do my best, all the way through senior thesis. Through his assignments and connections with Industry Collaborators, these classes were not just a lecture and notes type of class. These classes set us up for real-life scenarios with real companies where we acquired knowledge from different perspectives.
When it came time to look for internships, Dr. Feigler was right by my side encouraging me and helping me connect with others where I was able to get a paid internship with P9 after my junior year of school.
Dr. Feigler has worked so hard to make this program the perfect Product Design program where his students can get the most knowledge in their 4 years here. It does not compare to other schools programs being that in my experience, other schools who offer Product Design usually have more of an engineering approach or are too fine arts based - missing valuable design knowledge.
I am proud to be a graduate of Montclair State University with a BFA in Product Design and I am truly grateful for the experiences that Dr. Feigler, my other professors, and my peers I met along this journey were able to offer me. I will truly miss being a student in this program.
