Hello!

I’m Gillan, or Gilly; whatever works for you. I'm a recent graduate of Carnegie Mellon University Class of 2018. I received my Bachelor of Design with a concentration in Environments Design and a minor in Gender Studies. Originally from the D.C. area, I grew up just outside of the capital and moved away for the first time when I came to Carnegie Mellon. During my second year, my parents moved to Beijing, China, where I later joined them for a summer graphic design internship at Flow Asia.

My time at CMU has been filled with many amazing opportunities. I recently completed my position as Executive Producer of Lunar Gala 2018: FEROX. LG is the largest event at Carnegie Mellon, so I was thrilled to be chosen to manage the various groups within the organization including fashion design, modeling, creative, public relations, branding, dance, and production. Our show was attended by 3,000 and showcased the talents of our 50+ board members and 300 participants including models, designers, and dancers.

In addition to Lunar Gala, I have been an active member of CMU's contemporary dance troupe, Infra Dance Company, holding the position of Public Relations chair my third year and Artistic Director during my fourth and final year. As PR chair I redesigned our logo and created all of our branding materials including merchandise, pamphlets, posters, etc.

Some of my passions outside of my design practice and dance include yoga, knitting, cooking, and traveling. I have also recently become an aspiring minimalist and advocate for a zero-waste lifestyle.

My design education has exposed me to these issues around sustainability and individual responsibility, which I hope to continue in my future practice and life. A major goal of mine is to lead a project that combines sustainability initiatives, urban planning, social development, and interaction and environments design within urban communities.