A former Pakuranga College student has been honoured for her design portfolio which was recognised as being one of the top 10 in New Zealand.
Amy Yang completed her final year at the college in 2022.
Her portfolio was selected as one of the top 10 design external portfolios in the 2022 NCEA exams, meaning that her work will be part of an exhibition of the Year 13 visual art disciplines that tours the country in 2023.
“I felt shocked when I heard my work had been selected but I think the originality of the concept was part of the appeal,” she says.
The brief was for students to explore a social issue and, after first dabbling with the topic of depression, Amy was inspired to create a design that promoted giving blood.
Her logo depicts a strawberry plant bearing blood-bag fruit.
Amy says she wished to convey the message that blood reserves replenish every day, just as a strawberry grows, and therefore people can donate multiple times.
“I wanted to target youth blood donations and came up with the concept of a blood berry.
The idea was that strawberries grow until they are red and ripe and then we pick them and each plant can grow many strawberries to pick.
“I wasn’t that confident when my work was submitted, but this recognition has given me a lot of assurance in my abilities,” she says.
Amy’s teacher and head of the art department at Pakuranga College, Sylvie Huang, says she is thrilled to see her student achieve at this level.
“The art department staff work very hard to create a supportive and challenging learning environment that allows students to excel and we are very proud of what Amy has accomplished,” she says.
Huang says Amy was a cheerful student who showed a strong commitment to her work and was actively involved in supporting others.
“The recognition is a testament to Amy’s hard work, dedication and the support she has received from her family and the college community,” she says.
Amy will continue her studies at the University of Melbourne in 2023, pursuing a Bachelor of Design with her major being graphic design.
She will also be taking architecture and animation as her minors.
“I hope through my studies I can explore designs that resonate with me and that I find satisfying to work on,” Amy says.
Amy says she has almost always enjoyed design and her dream job is to become a graphic designer.
“Amy is not afraid to put in time and effort to succeed and her positive attitude towards learning has allowed her to achieve,” Huang says.
The Top Art Exhibition travels the country until October as three different tours named Pohutukawa, Pīwakawaka and Kauri.
More details can be found here: www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/subjects/visual-arts/top-art-exhibition/top-art-exhibition-schedule/
