Thousands of DMU students graduated in July after years of hard work. We reported some of their stories in our Class of 2015 series...
Graduating will be cause for a double celebration for one De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) student.
Not only will Ilya Nasedkins, from Latvia, be leaving DMU with a first in Graphic Design BA (Hons), his proud parents are coming over to England to watch the ceremony at Leicester’s Curve theatre – which will be the first time they’ve met in person since June last year.
The 24-year-old said the thought of the family reunion had spurred him on to work even harder over the past few months: “I didn’t just want to finish my degree, I wanted to finish well. My parents are visiting from my home city of Valmiera and I don’t want them to be disappointed. I went to see them last summer but before that, apart from Skype calls, I hadn’t seen them for two-and-a-half years.”
Not that Ilya is a stranger to hard work – to support his studies he’s worked in bars and restaurants for the past three years and he also found time for seven months’ work experience at a Leicester design firm, creating templates and helping to rebrand the company.
One of Ilya’s most impressive achievements was being commended in last year’s national Starpack Student Awards after he designed a ‘Great British picnic’ pack made of cardboard. The competition called on students to submit solutions to packaging problems set by brand-leading companies, design agencies and manufacturers – and win recognition from industry giants.
“The brief was to produce a picnic pack which you could basically grab and go,” Ilya said. “I worked flat out on the project for two weeks – I was even sketching ideas on my waiter’s pad – but it was fun and a great experience.”
The ground-breaking #DMUglobal programme aims to offer the majority of students an international experience and Ilya took advantage of the scheme to go on a trip to Amsterdam in February: “It was fantastic and we visited some really amazing museums, including the Museum of the Image (MOTI), Body Worlds and the Stedelijk Museum, and got some great ideas for our own designs.”
DMU is a truly global university – with students from more than 130 countries and 155 quality international partnerships providing placement opportunities around the world – and Ilya said he’d enjoyed studying here. He was also full of praise for his course and tutors, adding that he’d made lasting friendships and found the teamwork with his fellow students particularly satisfying.
After his final hand-in and before his graduation, Ilya secured an internship through the DMU Graduate Champions programme to enhance his CV and help him stand out from the crowd in a competitive jobs market. He gained valuable experience as a graphic designer at Eazi Apps in Leicester, a franchise company helping people to build their mobile app businesses.
He is now planning to settle down in Leicester and is already looking forward to DMU reunions in years to come: “It will be great to see old friends again and very interesting to compare what stage we are all at in our careers.”
Posted on Wednesday 8 July 2015