Two Victoria students accepted to study at Harvard
Vice-Chancellor Professor Pat Walsh would like to congratulate Victoria students Vivien Chong and Xuanyi Nie who have been accepted into the prestigious Master of Architecture programme at Harvard University.
Vivien Chong was offered advanced placement into the third semester of a six-semester program at Harvard University studying a Master of Landscape Architecture degree at Harvard commencing in August.
"Gaining acceptance into one of the oldest and distinguished Landscape Architecture programs in the world was completely unexpected. Everything just felt surreal, and it took a while for the news and joy to sink in," Vivien says.
Completing a Bachelor of Architectural Studies majoring in Landscape Architecture in November last year, Vivien says Victoria has a strong reputation for excellence, and she was especially drawn to its professional and diverse landscape architecture program.
"I enjoy exploring, understanding, and creating places that respond to the socioeconomic and environmental pressures that continually redefine our world."
"Being offered a place at the Graduate School of Design (GSD) is an incredible opportunity that I am extremely grateful for. It really is the dedicated guidance of my lecturers and tutors, and support from my amazing classmates in the Landscape Architecture department that have helped me to get this far over the years."
Vivien says that her time at Victoria has really pushed her to think outside the box, gain practical experience in construction through participation in the Solar Decathlon, and develop strong graphic, verbal, and evaluative skills.
Xuanyi Nie moved to New Zealand in 2007 to study a Bachelor of Architectural Studies at Victoria. He completed his degree last year and is currently on exchange study at The Royal Academy of Art in Copenhagen.
"Victoria University of Wellington is prestigious for creativity and critical thinking in architectural education, it became the ideal place to pursue my interests in architecture," said Xuanyi.
In March 2012, Xuanyi received an email from Harvard University informing him of his acceptance into the professional Masters of Architecture program at Harvard‘s GSD.
Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
"This, to me, is an acknowledgement of my hard work at Victoria, which also made me too excited to sleep that night. I would like to thank all the teachers who have helped me through my study."
The academic year starts in August and Xuanyi is really looking forward to the excitement and challenges at Harvard.